INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Health Services

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many health clinics in Afghanistan have received funding from the Government in each year since 2001.

Douglas Alexander: The majority of UK support for health in Afghanistan occurs through contributions to the Afghan Government's budget. Since 2002, the Department for International Development (DFID) has contributed £360 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF). The ARTF is managed by the World Bank and reimburses proven Government expenditure on operating costs including on health. DFID will provide a further £165 million to the ARTF to 2012-13 which will cover 14 per cent. of the Government's recurrent costs in health.
	Since 2003 DFID has also invested £32 million in the National Solidarity Programme (NSP), which funds small-scale projects selected by communities all across Afghanistan. The NSP has funded the construction of over 100 health projects nationwide.
	Construction of individual health clinics in Helmand is undertaken by the UK-led Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), to which DFID contributes staff and funding. In the last six months, the PRT has constructed or refurbished four health centres in Helmand province. Last year, the Bost hospital in Lashkar Gah received approximately £800,000 for a new maternity clinic and college. This would not have been possible under the Taliban.

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided for rehabilitation projects for  (a) health clinics,  (b) schools and  (c) drinking wells in Afghanistan in each year since 2001.

Douglas Alexander: The majority of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) support for health and education in Afghanistan is not through direct construction projects, but rather support to the Afghan Government budget. Since 2002 DFID has contributed £360 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF) which is managed by the World Bank and reimburses proven Government expenditure on operating costs including in health and education. We will provide a further £165 million to the ARTF to 2012-13. This will cover 14 per cent. of the Government's recurrent costs in health and education.
	Since 2001 DFID has also contributed to a number of specific programmes involving the construction of health clinics, schools and drinking wells. Between 2006 and 2009, DFID contributed £30 million to various construction projects in Helmand through the Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (HARDP). This included almost £4.4 million for the construction of wells and latrines.
	Through the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team, the Bost hospital in Lashkar Gah received approximately £800,000 last year for a new maternity clinic and college that would not have been possible under the Taliban.
	Since 2003, DFID has also contributed £32 million to the Government of Afghanistan's National Solidarity Programme (NSP), which funds small-scale projects selected by communities all around Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Roads

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many road projects in Afghanistan have been funded by the Government in each year since 2001.

Douglas Alexander: The majority of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) funding for construction projects in Afghanistan is through support to the Afghan Government's budget. Since 2003, DFID has contributed £32 million to the National Solidarity Programme (NSP). This funds small-scale projects selected by communities all around Afghanistan, and has funded the construction of almost 12,000 'transport' projects.
	Since 2001 DFID has also funded the design, improvement or construction of almost 150 kilometres of roads in Helmand province. This includes:
	59 kilometres of small road projects selected by local communities and funded through the Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (HARDP);
	12.5 kilometres in various districts of Helmand as part of the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team's road building programme;
	a 2.5 kilometre road providing access to the Gereshk power station, the rehabilitation of which DFID is financing;
	the design of the 48 kilometre Lashkar Gah to Gereshk road.

Afghanistan: Schools

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many schools in Afghanistan have been funded by his Department in each year since 2001.

Douglas Alexander: The majority of UK support for education in Afghanistan occurs through contributions to the Afghan Government budget. Since 2002, the Department for International Development (DFID) has contributed £360 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF). The ARTF is managed by the World Bank and reimburses proven Government expenditure on operating costs including on education. We will provide a further £165 million to the ARTF to 2012-13 which will cover 14 per cent. of the Government's recurrent costs in education.
	Since 2003 DFID has also invested £32 million in the National Solidarity Programme (NSP). This funds small-scale projects selected by communities all across Afghanistan, including the construction of almost 6,000 education projects nationwide.
	DFID funded the refurbishment of training infrastructure and a teacher training centre in Kandahar province in 2002. UK support to construct schools in Helmand is, however, normally undertaken by the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), to which DFID contributes staff and funding. In the last six months, the PRT has refurbished five schools in Helmand.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to his Department by its staff since 6 June 2006.

Douglas Alexander: No formal allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to the Department of International Development (DFID) by current staff since 6 June 2006.

Departmental Meetings

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which  (a) individuals other than ministerial colleagues and officials of his Department and  (b) organisations he met in an official capacity in the week commencing 9 November 2009.

Douglas Alexander: In its response to a report by the Public Administration Select Committee-'Lobbying: Access and influence in Whitehall', the Government agreed to publish online, on a quarterly basis, information about ministerial meetings with outside interest groups. Information for the period 1 October to 31 December 2009 will be published by Departments as soon as the information is ready.

Departmental Rail Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what date he last travelled by train in the course of his official duties.

Douglas Alexander: I last travelled by train in the course of official duties on 20 November 2009.

Departmental Recruitment

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of jobs advertised by his Department in the last 12 months were online only applications; and what provision his Department makes for those wishing to apply for jobs in his Department who do not have access to the internet.

Michael Foster: All external vacancies in the Department for International Development (DFID) are advertised in the National press and on our website and we use an e-resourcing system to help us to manage applications.
	Since November 2008, a total of 63 posts have been advertised. 58 posts (92 per cent.) were advertised through our e-resourcing system (using online applications) and five posts (8 per cent.) were advertised inviting word applications by e-mail and hard copy.
	There is an expectation that applicants will apply online however alternative application methods for all of our posts are considered on request.

Departmental Recycling

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mass of paper his Department recycled in each of the last five years.

Michael Foster: All waste paper used by the Department for International Development (DFID) is recycled. The amount of paper in tonnes which has been recycled over the last five years by DFID is set out in the table. This information was provided by our waste contractors, based partly on estimates derived from waste audits which measured the proportion of paper waste out of the total recycled waste.
	
		
			   Tonnes 
			 2004-05 208.5 
			 2005-06 146.4 
			 2006-07 140.2 
			 2007-08 126.4 
			 2008-09 110.2

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what training sessions were attended by  (a) Ministers and  (b) special advisers in his Department at public expense in each of the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: Training is provided to Ministers and special advisers as part of their induction and continuing development in order to carry out their respective duties effectively under the 'Ministerial Code' and the 'Code of Conduct for Special Advisers'. Details of training provided to Government Ministers by the National School of Government are publicly available and can be found at:
	http://www.nationalschool.gov.uk/policy/MinisterialProgramme/Table.asp

Departmental Working Hours

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what proportion of staff of his Department and its non-departmental public bodies work flexibly or part-time; and what his Department's policy is on making jobs available on a job-share or flexible basis.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides a wide range of flexible working options.
	Most staff work their contracted hours via the Flexible Working Hours Scheme. This offers flexibility on the hours worked and allows employees to work additional hours and convert them to leave, up to three days in every four-week period. Within this Flexible Working Hours Scheme, staff work alternative working patterns including reduced hours, compressed hours, job-sharing and term-time working. At July 2009, 144 Home Civil Servants worked part-time, equating to 8.6 per cent.
	DFID's policy is that unless there is a clear business reason all jobs are available on a job-share or flexible basis.
	DFID does not have any responsibility for any executive agencies. Nor do we have any staff working in non-departmental public bodies.

Remittances

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the value of remittances as a percentage of the gross domestic product of each country which receives support from his Department in each year since 2005.

Gareth Thomas: The World Bank is the leading source of reliable data on remittances. However, there is no information for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Iraq. The available information for the years 2005-08 is as follows:
	
		
			  Remittances as a share of GDP 
			  Percentage 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Ethiopia 1.41 1.30 1.80 1.50 
			 Ghana 0.90 0.80 0.80 0.80 
			 Kenya 4.30 5.30 5.45 4.90 
			 Malawi 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.00 
			 Mozambique 0.90 1.10 1.25 1.20 
			 Nigeria 2.96 2.90 6.66 4.70 
			 Rwanda 0.90 0.80 1.86 1.20 
			 Sierra Leone 0.16 2.40 9.44 7.70 
			 Sudan 4.22 3.10 3.80 5.30 
			 Tanzania 0.12 0.10 0.08 0.10 
			 Uganda 4.60 8.70 7.23 3.40 
			 Zambia 0.74 0.50 0.48 0.50 
			 Bangladesh 7.20 8.80 9.55 11.40 
			 India 2.60 2.80 3.09 4.20 
			 Nepal 14.90 18.00 15.50 21.60 
			 Pakistan 3.90 4.00 4.20 4.20 
			 Cambodia 3.10 4.10 4.20 3.40 
			 Vietnam 7.60 7.90 7.90 7.90 
			 Yemen 7.60 6.70 6.08 5.30 
			 Jamaica 16.00 18.50 19.30 14.50 
			 Guyana 25.30 24.30 23.50 24.00

Remittances

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he made of the amount of remittances sent  (a) in total,  (b) to Pakistan and  (c) to Nigeria in the latest year for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: Total global remittances are estimated at $444 billion in 2008, of which $338 billion flowed to developing countries.
	Remittances to Pakistan totalled $7.0 billion in 2008.
	Remittances to Nigeria totalled $10.0 billion in 2008.
	 Data Source
	The World Bank

UNESCO: Prizes

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has received on UNESCO's decision to establish the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Delegation to UNESCO has received one e-mail expressing concern at the creation of this prize, from the Open Society Institute in November 2009.

UNESCO: Prizes

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what role his Department played in the processes leading to UNESCO's decision to establish the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The proposal to establish this prize was put forward by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to UNESCO's Executive Board on 29 September 2008; and it was approved by the Executive Board on 17 October 2008. The UK was not a member of the Board and therefore took no part in the decision.

World Food Programme: Somalia

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what involvement the UK has in the World Food Programme's activities in Somalia; what actions the World Food Programme took in Somalia in the last 12 months; and what actions are planned in the next 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received $335 million so far in 2009 from various donors for its emergency food aid operations in Somalia, against stated requirements of $475 million. It expects by the end of 2009 to have delivered 304,000 metric tonnes of emergency food aid to 3.1 million Somalis.
	WFP expects to appeal for $309 million to continue its emergency food aid and $40 million for its emergency nutrition operations in 2010. This will include Special Operations to improve the security of staff operating in Somalia, finance a humanitarian air support operation, and improve key port and road infrastructure to facilitate its food aid operations.
	In 2008 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided $23.8 million to the WFP Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation for Somalia, which was spent by WFP from June 2008 to March 2009.
	DFID contributed $102 million in 2009 to the cost of WFP's global operations, and plays an active role in the WFP Board in discussion of its programmes and policies.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Farm Land Management

Henry Bellingham: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the policy of the Church Commissioners is on the management of their holdings of farm land.

Stuart Bell: The Church Commissioners seek the best possible total return from all their assets (not just farm holdings) within an acceptable level of risk and their ethical investment policy.

Church of England: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what formula each diocese uses for calculating parish share.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners do not collect individual dioceses' parish share formulae. However, I will shortly place in the Library a document entitled "Parish Share Systems by Diocese" which summarises dioceses' approach to the calculation and allocation of parish share. More detailed information would have to be obtained from each diocese.

Church of England: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners with reference to the answer of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, column 996W, on the Church of England: finance, how the number of church members is calculated; what the average parish share per church member in each  (a) parochial church council (PCC) area and  (b) diocese is; what the parish share in each PCC in England in 2009 was; what revenue each diocese received (i) in total and (ii) per Church member from the (A) parish share and (B) other sources in the last 12 months; and how much each diocese spent in that period.

Stuart Bell: Church membership is estimated as an average of electoral roll, average Sunday attendance and average weekly attendance numbers.
	Parish share per church 'member' requested in each diocese was given in my answer of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 995-96W. Parish share and other income per church 'member' received in each diocese in 2007 (the latest year for which such figures are available), using figures from diocesan accounts, is shown in the table.
	The Commissioners do not collect the other information requested by the hon. Gentleman.
	
		
			  Income per church 'member' in 2007( 1) 
			  £ 
			   Parish share  Other income  Total income 
			 Bath and Wells 291 206 497 
			 Birmingham 299 280 579 
			 Blackburn 263 168 431 
			 Bradford 396 391 787 
			 Bristol 387 178 564 
			 Canterbury 338 85 423 
			 Carlisle 302 228 530 
			 Chelmsford 339 174 513 
			 Chester 274 139 414 
			 Chichester 266 160 426 
			 Coventry 306 169 475 
			 Derby 314 133 447 
			 Durham 263 189 452 
			 Ely 281 163 444 
			 Exeter 304 199 503 
			 Gloucester 265 175 440 
			 Guildford 383 68 451 
			 Hereford 271 118 388 
			 Leicester 334 315 649 
			 Lichfield 310 289 599 
			 Lincoln 203 305 509 
			 Liverpool 246 154 400 
			 London 285 193 478 
			 Manchester 264 244 507 
			 Newcastle 276 181 458 
			 Norwich 342 209 551 
			 Oxford 330 131 461 
			 Peterborough 323 886 1209 
			 Portsmouth 286 155 442 
			 Ripon and Leeds 371 211 582 
			 Rochester 354 97 451 
			 St. Albans 316 158 473 
			 St. Edmunsbury and Ipswich 310 97 407 
			 Salisbury 282 99 381 
			 Sheffield 316 293 609 
			 Sodor and Man 270 86 356 
			 Southwark 380 185 566 
			 Southwell and Nottingham 323 249 571 
			 Truro 259 286 545 
			 Wakefield 305 170 475 
			 Winchester 316 74 390 
			 Worcester 315 198 513 
			 York 267 215 482 
			 Total 304 192 496 
			 (1 )Membership: One-third electoral roll, one-third average Sunday attendance, one-third average weekly attendance.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Preferential Voting: Referendum

Martin Linton: To ask the honourable Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission has been requested to advise Ministers on the contents of a paving Bill for a referendum on preferential voting.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has received no such request.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Common Land

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to facilitate access to manorial documents held by  (a) local record offices and  (b) other organisations for the purpose of supporting public interest applications for the re-registration of land as common under Schedule 2(4) of the Commons Act 2006.

Huw Irranca-Davies: It is the responsibility of an applicant under paragraph 4 of schedule 2 to the Commons Act 2006 to obtain and provide evidence supporting his or her application. Where relevant manorial documents are held by local record offices, they will generally be available to the public for inspection. Where they are held by private individuals, arrangements for inspection should be made with the custodian.

Common Land

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider the merits of  (a) publishing in electronic format and  (b) permitting free access to (i) phase I habitat maps, (ii) the land cover map 2007 and (iii) other resources used by people applying to re-register common land under Schedule 2(4) of the Commons Act 2006.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Public access is already generally available to similar documents where they are held by public bodies, under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Under regulation 6 of the 2004 regulations, a person may request information to be made available in electronic form, and a public authority must comply unless the exceptions in regulation 6(1) apply. DEFRA has arranged for electronic copies of the decisions of the Commons Commissioners in England and Wales to be placed on the website of the Association of Commons Registration Officers at
	www.acraew.org.uk

Common Land

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons applicants for the re-registration of land under Schedule 2(4) of the Commons Act 2006 are required to provide large-scale ordnance survey maps describing the application area in circumstances in which existing register maps describing that area are available.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The use of large-scale maps is required for the purposes of an application under paragraph 4 of schedule 2 to the Commons Act 2006, in order to ensure accuracy in determining the boundary line of the land specified in the application. However, we accept that, where the application relates to the whole of a cancelled register unit, the representation of the cancelled unit on the register map could otherwise be suitable for the purpose of identification.
	We are reviewing the pilot implementation of part 1 of the Commons Act 2006, and will consider what changes might be made to the regulations relating to applications under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to the Act when Part 1 is implemented nationally at a later date.

Common Land

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether assistance from his Department is available to individuals or organisations applying to re-register common land under Schedule 2(4) of the Commons Act 2006 to  (a) identify and  (b) serve notice on the owners of that land, with particular reference to circumstances in which such land is not registered with the Land Registry.

Huw Irranca-Davies: No assistance is available from DEFRA for the purposes of making an application to register waste land of a manor under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to the Commons Act 2006, regardless of whether the ownership is registered with the Land Registry.

Common Land

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the costs expected to be incurred by an individual or organisation applying to re-register common land under Schedule 2(4) of the Commons Act 2006.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The impact assessment for the pilot implementation of Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006 concluded that the completion of an application form by applicants would impose a very small administrative burden on applicants. In addition, the costs of giving notice of an application to prescribed persons would also generally be low. The impact assessment noted that DEFRA intended to gather further information about the burden on applicants, but to date no applications have been submitted under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to enable this to be done.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what efficiency savings projects  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies put in place under the Operational Efficiency Programme; on what date each such project was initiated; how much each such project was expected to contribute to departmental savings; how much had been saved through each such project on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: DEFRA and its delivery network are contributing to the Government's target of £35 billion VFM savings in CSR07. Overall progress towards the target will be reported in departmental autumn performance reports. Current savings include those arising under DEFRA's Workplace Support Initiative which will bring much of the DEFRA estate (which currently covers over 234 sites across the Department and its agencies) into a single facilities management contract. DEFRA will save £6 million per year in 2010-11 compared to the preceding year through economies of scale and increasing the flexibility of its facilities. Savings will rise to £11 million per year by 2013-14.
	The Department's plans for delivering OEP savings over the next spending review are being developed to contribute to the Government's £9 billion target of OEP savings across the public sector.

Departmental Food

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) lamb,  (b) beef,  (c) chicken,  (d) pork,  (e) turkey,  (f) other meats,  (g) vegetables and  (h) fruit procured by his Department that was produced in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: A second report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service was published in November 2008, covering the year from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. This report and the first one covering the previous year can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/policy/publicsectorfood/awareness.htm
	The report gives details of the proportion of individual meat, fruit and vegetable categories purchased.
	Although it is too early to show a trend, the report indicates that the amount of domestically produced food consumed by Government Departments in England is increasing. The proportion of domestically produced food procured by DEFRA has gone up from 79.5 per cent. in 2006-07 to 85 per cent. in 2007-08. We expect to publish a third report at the end of 2009.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter of 3 August 2009 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, transferred from the Treasury, PO Ref: 1/74240/2009, on surface water charges.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I replied to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 17 August and have arranged for a copy of the response to be sent to him.

Origin Marking: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 568W, on origin marking: Israel, for what reasons the proposals on labelling of goods originating from Israeli settlements have not yet been published for public consultation; and when he expects the proposals to be published.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 23 November 2009
	We fully appreciate the strong opinions that people have about this issue. It is because of the sensitive and complex nature of this case that the Government are still carefully considering possible next steps.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Bribery Bill

Simon Hughes: To ask the Solicitor-General what recent discussions she has had with the Attorney-General on the implications of the proposed Bribery Bill for the role of the Attorney-General.

Vera Baird: The Bribery Bill will no longer require the consent of the Attorney-General or Solicitor-General before a prosecution for an offence under the Bill can be started, and instead will require the consent of the Director of the relevant prosecuting authority. The Bill does not alter the role of the Attorney-General in any other way.

Eddie Gilfoyle

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Solicitor-General on what dates the Crown Prosecution Service received  (a) the report of the review,  (b) the draft report and  (c) the notes of interviews with police officers between the end of Mr. Eddie Gilfoyle's trial and the time they were disclosed to the defence for Mr. Gilfoyle's appeal in 1995.

Vera Baird: The Merseyside Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) received the report of the review conducted by Merseyside police on 17 July 1995.
	The relevant part of the report, together with the supporting material including the notes with the various officers, was served on the defence by way of a covering letter on 7 August 1995.
	The appeal was heard on 11, 12 and 14 September 1995 and the judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered on 20 October 1995.

Euthanasia: Prosecutions

Anne Moffat: To ask the Solicitor-General what recent representations the Director of Public Prosecutions has received on his interim policy for prosecutors on assisted suicide.

Vera Baird: The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) published the interim policy for prosecutors in respect of cases of assisted suicide on 23 September 2009. At the same time the CPS launched a 12-week public consultation on it. Up to 20 November 2009, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had received approximately 700 pieces of correspondence in response.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Parliamentary Questions: Written Answers

Simon Burns: To ask the Leader of the House what recent representations she has received on the timeliness of answers to Parliamentary Questions for written answer.

Barbara Keeley: My right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House has today responded to the Procedure Committee report on written parliamentary questions which sets out how the Government plan to improve the quality and timeliness of written parliamentary questions.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Leader of the House when she plans to reply to the letter of 21 September 2009 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Barbara Keeley: The hon. Member's letter of 21 September 2009 was transferred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority; which is part of the Ministry of Justice, for answer, on 5 October 2009.
	I apologise for any confusion and delay caused.

Westminster Hall Sittings

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Leader of the House if she will make arrangements for a full weekly programme of Westminster Hall debates to be held in future in the first full week of a new parliamentary Session.

Barbara Keeley: There are practical obstacles to holding sittings in Westminster Hall in the first week of a new Parliament. A few days are needed to hold ballots for adjournment debates, for the necessary consultations over the business to be taken at Thursday afternoon sittings, and for the appointment of the Chairmen's Panel.
	I do not therefore believe that it would be feasible for sittings to take place in the first full week of the next Session.

TRANSPORT

A3: Hindhead

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the cost to date was of the Hindhead Tunnel project on the latest date figures are available; and what his most recent estimate is of the total cost of that project.

Chris Mole: Expenditure to date at the end of October 2009 for the Hindhead Tunnel was £258.6 million.
	The most recent estimate of the total cost for the project is £365.7 million.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent reports he has received of  (a) incidents involving the contamination of aircraft cabin air supply by fumes from engine lubricants and  (b) the commercial aircraft types which have experienced a contamination of the cabin air supply from the fumes of engine lubricants.

Paul Clark: Incidents of contaminated air events are reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under the mandatory occurrences reporting scheme (MORS). The latest figures, by commercial aircraft type in the UK, for the first six months of this year are shown in the table.
	Between 1 January 2009 and 30 June 2009, there were 38 reported contaminated air events. These figures are out of 553,266 airline flights-passenger and cargo operations-for the corresponding period:
	
		
			  Aircraft type  Reportable occurrences involving contaminated air (January-June 2009) 
			 Boeing 757 8 
			 Airbus A319 7 
			 Airbus A320 6 
			 Boeing 737 5 
			 Various other aircraft types 12 
			 Total 38 
		
	
	For ease of reference the figures for the last full year (2008) are also included. In 2008 there were 97 reported contaminated air events. These figures are out of 1.2 million airline flights-passenger and cargo operations-for the calendar year 2008.
	
		
			  Aircraft type  Reportable occurrences involving contaminated air (2008) 
			 Boeing B757 38 
			 Airbus A319 19 
			 Boeing B737 10 
			 Airbus A320 6 
			 Boeing B747 5 
			 Various other aircraft types 19 
			 Total 97 
			  Note: The British Aerospace BAe146 and Boeing B777 are now included in 'various other aircraft types' as the numbers of reported events were two and four respectively.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what statutory basis there is for the use of the automatic number plate recognition technology.

Paul Clark: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems to identify offences relating to the use of unlicensed vehicles in contravention of Section 29 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994. Evidence relied upon to pursue penalties for these offences is gathered using systems that have been type approved in line with Section 20 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988.
	The Highways Agency uses data from ANPR cameras to help with the effective management of traffic on the strategic road network. The statutory basis for this is covered in the Highways Act 1980 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the governance system of the use of the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system.

Paul Clark: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) uses a range of measures to maintain high levels of compliance with vehicle licensing requirements, including the use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology. DVLA's compliance approach is kept under review by the Vehicle Excise Duty Collection and Enforcement Governance Board, which meets every quarter.
	Data from the Highways Agency's ANPR cameras are scrambled at source into a non-unique code which can apply to more than one vehicle simultaneously. It is understood that this process renders the data as non-personal under the Data Protection Act 1998.
	In addition, the Highways Agency operates a system of Information Asset Owners to ensure that data are held and used in accordance with current legislation, namely the Data Protection Act 1998 and in accordance with Cabinet Office data handling guidance issued in 2008.
	Data gathered by ANPR cameras are stored at the Highways Agency National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC). The Highways Agency's Information Asset Owner (IAO) has ensured that the information is accredited to Information Security ISO27001 standards. In September 2009 Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) conducted a review of procedures at the NTCC and confirmed that standards still met the requirements of ISO27001.

Aviation

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what the average number of passengers on internal flights within Great Britain in the last period for which figures are available is, expressed  (a) in passenger numbers and  (b) as a percentage of passenger carrying capacity;
	(2)  how many internal flights there were in Great Britain in 2008; and what estimate he has made of the overall number of passengers who travelled on such flights.

Paul Clark: In 2008 there were 255,000 passenger flights departing airports in Great Britain to fly to another airport in Great Britain. These flights carried 15.3 million passengers. This equates to an average of 60 passengers per flight, equivalent to 64 per cent. of estimated seat capacity.

Aviation: Fuels

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much aviation fuel he estimates has been used in the UK in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: The amount of aviation fuel uplifted in the UK in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			   Petroleum consumption (million tonnes) 
			 1997 8.45 
			 1998 9.28 
			 1999 9.98 
			 2000 10.86 
			 2001 10.67 
			 2002 10.57 
			 2003 10.81 
			 2004 11.69 
			 2005 12.55 
			 2006 12.69 
			 2007 12.67 
			 2008 12.17

Bus Services: Concessions

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department gives to local authorities seeking to reduce their expenditure on concessionary bus fares.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport does not provide guidance specifically on how to reduce expenditure on concessionary travel. Travel concession authorities (TCAs) are required by law to reimburse bus operators for carrying concessionary bus travellers, with the objective that the operators are left no better off and no worse off by taking part in concessionary travel schemes.
	The Department provides guidance to local authorities and bus operators on how to calculate appropriate reimbursement, which sets out the Department's preferred route for calculating reimbursement (via the use of the reimbursement analysis tool). However TCAs are free to use the methodology of their choice subject to ensuring consistency with the no better and no worse off objective.

Bus Services: Concessions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the cost to the public purse of subsidising bus services was in each year since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: The Government subsidise bus services in England through the Department for Transport's bus service operators grant (BSOG) which is paid to operators of local bus services.
	Since 1998, the Government have also provided rural bus subsidy grant which helps local authorities to support rural bus services in England.
	The following table shows the amounts paid by Government in each year since 1997 through bus service operators grant and rural bus subsidy grant in England:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Bus service operators grant in England  Rural bus subsidy grant 
			 1997-98 187.3 - 
			 1998-99 222.3 32.5 
			 1999-2000 277.4 32.5 
			 2000-01 301.3 32.5 
			 2001-02 304.3 41.5 
			 2002-03 317.2 47.5 
			 2003-04 331.4 48.5 
			 2004-05 347.5 51.0 
			 2005-06 357.6 53.0 
			 2006-07 367.5 54.3 
			 2007-08 392.2 55.6 
			 2008-09 423.2 57.0 
			 2009-10 436.6 58.5 
			 Total 4,265.9 564.4 
		
	
	Rural bus services are also supported by local authorities' revenue support grant (RSG) funding. It is for local authorities to decide what bus services to support in their area according to local needs and priorities.

Cheadle Hulme Station: Finance

Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what proportion of the new £50 million allocated for station improvements will be allocated to Cheadle Hulme railway station;
	(2)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the case for improvements to Cheadle Hulme railway station.

Chris Mole: The new £50 million fund is intended for the 10 major (category B) interchange stations identified as requiring urgent improvement in the Station Champions' report. Cheadle Hulme is a medium staffed (category D) station and is therefore not included on this list.
	A site survey was carried out on behalf of the Strategic Rail Authority in 2005, as part of the consultation strategy behind the Access for All Programme. This identified that Cheadle Hulme did not meet modern standards for accessibility in a number of respects, and recommended installation of a new footbridge and lifts to all platforms. We currently expect this work to take place during 2010-11.

Climate Change

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants from his Department will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in an official capacity.

Sadiq Khan: The UK delegation will be led by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and his officials. There are no current plans for Ministers or officials from the Department for Transport (DfT) to attend. Officials from DfT are in constant contact with their counterparts at the Department of Energy and Climate Change and will stay in touch with them throughout the negotiations to coordinate the Department's contribution to the various negotiations that will be taking place at the Conference.

Cycling: Accidents

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many traffic accidents involving cyclists were recorded in each constituency in England in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: A table showing the number of reported personal injury road accidents involving pedal cyclists in each constituency in England in each of the last five years has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Disability Aids

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he plans to implement the recommendations made by the review of class  (a) two and  (b) three powered wheelchairs and powered scooters.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport expects to take forward the review's principal recommendations in the form of a public consultation in 2010. The issues we propose to consult on include future fitness to drive, insurance, registration and the training requirements for Class 2 and Class 3 mobility vehicle users.
	The Government's aim will continue to be to balance the mobility needs of scooter users with the safety needs of pedestrians and other road users.

Disability Aids: Accidents

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will commission an inquiry into the number of deaths and serious injuries resulting from accidents involving powered wheelchairs and powered scooters; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: There are no plans to commission an inquiry into to the number of deaths and serious injuries involving mobility vehicles. The Department for Transport is aware that the number of mobility scooters is on the increase and therefore it is procuring a survey to help assess the number of mobility scooter users and the extent to which their use may have injured people. Further, the Department is expecting to publish a public consultation on options for change.
	The Government's aim will continue to be to balance the mobility needs of scooter users with the safety needs of pedestrians and other road users.

Disability Aids: Accidents

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many incidents causing injury involving mobility scooters have been reported to the police in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: The information requested cannot be identified separately. Reported personal injury accidents involving mobility scooters are recorded as part of the 'other motor vehicle' category.

London Airports

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what percentage of and how many passengers using  (a) Heathrow Airport and  (b) Gatwick Airport were in transit (i) between domestic and international flights and (ii) between international flights in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Paul Clark: The following table shows percentage of passengers transferring between domestic and international flights and between international flights at Heathrow and Gatwick in 2008.
	
		
			  Passengers at Heathrow and Gatwick 2008 
			   Heathrow  Gatwick 
			   Passengers (million)  Percentage of total passengers  Passengers (million)  Percentage of total passengers 
			 Total passengers 66.6 - 33.4 - 
			  Of which: 
			  Transfer 
			 Domestic to International 2.7 4 1.1 3 
			 International to International 18.1 27 1.2 4 
			 International to Domestic 2.8 4 0.9 3 
			 Total transfer passengers(1) 23.6 35 3.2 10 
			 (1) This includes domestic to domestic transfer passengers. Source: CAA Passenger Survey

London Airports

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what percentage of journeys made to  (a) Gatwick,  (b) Heathrow,  (c) Stansted and  (d) Luton airports were made by (i) train, (ii) bus and (iii) other road vehicles in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Paul Clark: The following table shows the percentage of journeys made to Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton airports that were made by train, bus/coach, tube, and other road vehicles in 2008.
	
		
			  Air passengers who travelled to or from Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton airports by train, bus/coach and other road vehicles in 2008( 1) 
			  Final mode  Gatwick  Heathrow  Stansted  Luton 
			 Rail (percentage) 30 10 26 19 
			 Buses/coaches (percentage) 7 14 21 14 
			 Tube (percentage) 0 16 0 0 
			 Other road vehicles (percentage) 63 60 52 67 
			  
			 Terminating passengers(2) (million) 30.1 43.0 20.4 9.7 
			 (1) These results are based on a departure survey only. The assumption, for weighting purposes, is that arriving and departing passengers share the same modal characteristics. (2) This includes passengers using other modes to/from airport.  Source: CAA Passenger Survey

Motor Vehicles

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the average mileage of a car in England was in each year since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: The following table gives the estimated annual vehicle mileage for cars in England for from 1997 to 2008, based on data from the National Travel Survey:
	
		
			  Estimated average annual car( 1)  mileage, 1997-2008( 2) : England 
			  Year( 2)  Miles  Unweighted sample size (vehicles) 
			 size (vehicles)   
			 1996-98 9,450 8,356 
			 1999-2001 9,270 9,026 
			 2002 9,150 7,387 
			 2003 9,200 7,872 
			 2004 9,100 7,499 
			 2005 8,950 8,212 
			 2006 8,740 8,142 
			 2007 8,850 7,983 
			 2008 8,640 7,767 
			 (1 )Four wheel cars only (2) Data were reported for three-year intervals as shown prior to the expansion of the National Travel Survey sample in 2002.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the average level of carbon dioxide emissions in grammes per kilometre was for  (a) new and  (b) all cars in (i) the UK and (ii) each other EU member state in each year since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: A fully comprehensive dataset of fuel efficiency data for new cars is only available for the UK and the EU from 2001 in accordance with EU Decision 1753/2000/EC. The EU Commission collects and reports average CO2 emission data for new cars sold across the EU by member state. Table 1 is taken from the latest EU Commission monitoring report and shows average fuel efficiency of new cars sold in the UK and other EU member states where data are available between 2001 and 2007 measured in grams of carbon dioxide per km (gCO2/km). Missing data reflect the expansion of the EU to 25 member states in 2004 and to 27 in 2007 (2007 data for Bulgaria are missing as none were submitted to the EU Commission). Data for 2008 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Average fuel efficiency of new cars sold by member state 
			  Member state  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Austria 165.6 164.4 163.8 161.9 162.1 163.7 162.9 
			 Belgium 163.7 161.1 158.1 156.5 155.2 153.9 152.8 
			 Cyprus n/a n/a n/a 173.4 173.0 170.1 170.3 
			 Czech Republic n/a n/a n/a 154.0 155.3 154.2 154.2 
			 Denmark 172.9 170.0 169.0 165.9 163.7 162.5 159.8 
			 Estonia n/a n/a n/a 179.0 183.7 182.7 181.6 
			 Finland 178.1 177.2 178.3 179.8 179.5 179.2 177.3 
			 France 159.8 156.8 155.0 153.1 152.3 149.9 149.4 
			 Germany 179.5 177.4 175.9 174.9 173.4 172.5 169.5 
			 Greece 166.5 167.8 168.9 168.8 167.4 166.5 165.3 
			 Hungary n/a n/a n/a 158.4 156.3 154.6 155.0 
			 Ireland 166.6 164.3 166.7 167.6 166.8 166.3 161.6 
			 Italy 158.3 156.6 152.9 150.0 149.5 149.2 146.5 
			 Latvia n/a n/a n/a 192.4 187.2 183.1 183.5 
			 Lithuania n/a n/a n/a 187.5 186.3 163.4 176.5 
			 Luxembourg 177.0 173.8 173.5 169.7 168.6 168.2 165.8 
			 Malta n/a n/a n/a 148.8 150.5 145.9 147.8 
			 Netherlands 174.0 172.4 173.5 170.9 169.9 166.7 164.8 
			 Poland n/a n/a n/a 154.1 155.2 155.9 153.7 
			 Portugal n/a 154.0 149.9 147.1 144.9 145.0 144.2 
			 Romania n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 154.8 
			 Slovakia n/a n/a n/a n/a 157.4 152.0 152.7 
			 Slovenia n/a n/a n/a 152.7 157.2 155.3 156.3 
			 Spain 156.8 156.4 157.0 155.3 155.3 155.6 153.2 
			 Sweden 200.2 198.2 198.5 197.2 193.8 188.6 181.4 
			 UK 177.6 174.8 172.7 171.3 169.7 167.7 164.7 
			  Source:  EU Commission 
		
	
	It is not possible to produce figures for average CO2 emissions for all cars in the UK or other EU member states because of the relatively few years for which average fuel efficiency data have been collected.

Motor Vehicles: Fuel Oil

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what percentage change there has been in the average level of fuel efficiency of cars sold in the UK in each year since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport does not have data on the average fuel efficiency of all cars sold in the UK. However, a fully comprehensive dataset of fuel efficiency data for new cars is available for the UK from 2001 in accordance with EU Decision 1753/2000/EC. Table 1 shows average fuel efficiency of new cars sold in the UK between 2001 and 2008 measured in grams of carbon dioxide per km (gCO2/km). These figures have been used to calculate the percentage change in fuel efficiency for each year.
	
		
			  Table 1: Average fuel efficiency for new cars sold in the UK 2001-08 
			   Fuel efficiency (gCO 2 /km)  Annual percentage change 
			 2001 177.6 -1.9 
			 2002 174.8 -1.6 
			 2003 172.7 -1.2 
			 2004 171.3 -0.8 
			 2005 169.7 -0.9 
			 2006 167.7 -1.2 
			 2007 164.7 -1.8 
			 2008 158.2 -4.0 
			  Source:  DVLA

Motorways: Road Signs and Markings

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the matrix signs over motorways are as up to date as possible; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The Highways Agency takes a number of measures to ensure sign accuracy.
	The majority of signs are automatic and set by sensors or other roadside infrastructure. As a result any message displayed is real-time and takes account of changing road conditions.
	Beyond the automatic signs the remaining messages are set manually by operators in either a regional or the national control centre.
	To ensure signs are set in a timely manner, performance indicators have been put in place to monitor how quickly a message is placed on a sign. The indicator requires operators in the regional centres to set or remove legends within two minutes of an incident being confirmed.
	Further procedures and alarms mean that checks take place while an incident is running. Procedures in the national centre require operators to review incident "Events" every 45 minutes and alarms are tripped for every three-hour period that a variable message sign is not updated.
	Steps are also taken to review sign accuracy. Each month, both the regional and national centres review incidents to assess the overall accuracy of their sign settings, and to identify any opportunities to make improvements.

Pedestrian Crossings

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the siting of pedestrian crossings.

Sadiq Khan: Current advice from this Department is contained in Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/95, The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings and Local Transport Note 2/95, the Design of Pedestrian Crossings.
	The documents can be made available in the Library of the House and are on the internet at the following address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/ltnotes/ssessment ofpedestriancro4033.pdf
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/ltnotes/esignof pedestriancrossin4034.pdf

Railway Stations: Finance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the funding for the station improvements referred to in his announcement on 17 November is to come from the National Stations Improvement Programme.

Chris Mole: The £50 million announced on 17 November to tackle improvements at the 10 major interchange stations identified for improvement in the Station Champions' report is in addition to the existing £150 million for station improvements under the National Stations Improvement Programme.

Railways: Accidents

James Clappison: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to the written ministerial statement of 19 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 39-40WS, on rail accidents (Grayrigg and Potters Bar), when he expects an inquest into the Potters Bar derailment to take place.

Chris Mole: The Lord Chief Justice continues to work to identify a suitable judge for appointment by the Hertfordshire coroner to act as his Assistant Deputy Coroner and conduct the Potters Bar inquests. The timing of the inquests is a matter for the Coroner, or the Assistant Deputy Coroner, once appointed.

Road Signs and Markings

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department has spent on advertising the purpose of driver location signs; and what assessment he has made of the public awareness of such signs.

Chris Mole: The Highways Agency has spent £5,000 on advertising the purpose of driver location signs. This has included the production of leaflets and information on its website.
	The Highways Agency regularly engages with its customers to determine if more can be done to improve their awareness of new projects and initiatives. A recent customer report has highlighted the lack of public awareness of the signs and the Highways Agency is currently considering a range of options to correct this.
	Research carried out on trial sections of routes equipped with driver location signs showed that response times of emergency service organisations were 10 per cent. quicker than previous responses to similar incidents. Getting the emergency services to the scene of an incident more efficiently ultimately leads to incidents being cleared more quickly.

Roads: Stonehenge

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he has plans to seek to mitigate the environmental impact of the use of roads passing close to Stonehenge.

Chris Mole: English Heritage has recently submitted to Wiltshire county council a planning application for its new Stonehenge Environmental Improvements Project which includes proposals to relocate the visitor centre and to close the A344 local road which currently runs immediately adjacent to the stone circle. The proposals will bring significant environmental benefits and the Highways Agency is working closely with English Heritage to secure the closure of the junction between the A344 and the A303 trunk road to the south east of the stones. Beyond the junction itself, the closure of the A344 is a matter for Wiltshire county council as the local highway authority.

Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the additional cost per vehicle of the proposed new Intercity Express trains which is directly attributable to the inclusion of a bi-mode capacity, as compared to an electric train operating with a diesel engine coupled for non-electrified sections of track.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport's analysis suggests that the costs of the bi-mode train, and the electric train followed by diesel loco-haulage, are around the same. The advantages of the bi-mode option are that it will not result in delay to passengers as a locomotive is being attached, that it will provide a more reliable service and that it does not require potentially expensive and disruptive infrastructure work at stations to facilitate the attaching of a locomotive.

Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much space will be allocated per seated passenger in  (a) standard and  (b) first class on the new Intercity Express trains; and how it compares with space allocations on existing rolling stock operating on the East Coast Main Line.

Chris Mole: Uni-directional seats (those not located around a bay-table) on the new Super Express Trains will have approximately  (a) 750mm knee-room in standard class and  (b) 915mm knee-room in first class. Similar seats on current Mark 4 carriages on the East Coast Main Line have approximately  (a) 700mm knee-room in standard class and  (b) 1010mm knee-room in first class.

Shipping: Pollution

Hugo Swire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when his Department next plans to review the national contingency plan for marine pollution from shipping and offshore installations.

Paul Clark: The National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations (NCP) has traditionally been updated approximately every five years, to take account of lessons learned from marine pollution incidents and exercises that have arisen since the last edition.
	The next revision exercise is scheduled to commence in late 2010 and will also include amendments to reflect machinery of government changes.

Shipping: Safety

Hugo Swire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what  (a) conclusions were reached and  (b) recommendations were made by the International Maritime Organisation Sub-Committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers in respect of the safe transit of containers by sea at its meetings on 21 to 25 September 2009; and what steps the Government plans to take in consequence.

Paul Clark: The 14th meeting of the sub-committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers (DSC) considered a range of issues relating to container safety. Of particular note were the decisions reached on harmonized interpretations of the International Convention on Safe Containers (CSC) and on a series of amendments to the guidance associated with the convention. It was also agreed to establish a correspondence group to consider further criteria to identify defects in containers before they represent a safety hazard.
	The decisions taken by the DSC are subject to endorsement at the 87th Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) in May 2010. The Government plan to support the outcome of DSC at the MSC and push for their adoption internationally.

Stockport Station: Finance

Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what timetable his Department plans for the distribution of new funding for station improvements to Stockport railway station.

Chris Mole: We are expecting money to be spent in Control Period 4 (up to 2014) on the 10 major interchange stations, including Stockport, which have been identified for priority improvement by the Station Champions. We anticipate a rolling programme of improvements including third party funding from industry stakeholders and local government which may be more forthcoming as we emerge from recession.

Stockport Station: Finance

Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proportion of the new £50 million allocated for station improvements will be allocated to Stockport railway station.

Chris Mole: Network Rail will take the lead in deciding the proportion of the new £50 million fund that will be spent on Stockport station, although the Department for Transport will need to approve the plans, which will be subject to a satisfactory business case and the prospect of an adequate financial return. We will also challenge the industry and local government to raise part of the money required for each of the stations themselves.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Poverty: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she expects the childhood deprivation data which appeared in her Department's annual Opportunity for All reports to be published on her Department's website.

Helen Goodman: The vast majority of data contained in Opportunity for All is in the public domain and Secretary of State is currently considering whether there is value in publishing this report given the range of other documents covering similar issues.
	Data on children in low income households and in families in low income and material deprivation are published in the Households Below Average Income report, which is available on the Department for Work and Pensions' website.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Contracts

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many Olympic contracts have been awarded to  (a) UK registered and  (b) other firms to date.

Tessa Jowell: To date, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has awarded contracts to 1,081 suppliers, of these all but 17 are businesses registered in the UK.
	Earlier this month, the ODA published a map showing that many suppliers from across the UK were winning work both directly with the ODA and within its supply chain. Details are available in business section of the London 2012 website:
	http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/business-network/index.php

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council of England

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what he expects the  (a) final severance and  (b) pension arrangements to be for the outgoing executive director of Arts Council England in the West Midlands.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England, which operates independently of Government.
	I have therefore asked Arts Council England's chief executive to consider the question raised by my hon. Friend and to write to him direct.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Coastal Areas: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which parliamentary constituencies received funding through the Sea Change programme in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09; and what the monetary value was of each grant.

Margaret Hodge: The Sea Change Programme, which has allocated £38 million to 32 resorts, has only been in place since 1 April 2008. The parliamentary constituencies which received funding in 2008-09 (Wave 1 of the programme), and the value of each grant are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency  Value of grant (£) 
			 Blackpool South 4,000,000 
			 Dover 3,850,000 
			 Torbay 1,542,531 
			 Totnes 705,001 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 1,000,000 
			 Bexhill and Battle 1,000,000 
			 Weston-Super-Mare 951,447 
			 Bognor Regis and Littlehampton 480,800 
			 Bournemouth East 455,000 
			 Teignbridge 376,676 
			 Torridge and West Devon (1)100,000 
			 Blackpool North and Fleetwood (2)30,000 
			 North Thanet (2)30,000 
			 North Devon (2)30,000 
			 Beverley and Holderness (2)30,000 
			 Tynemouth (2)29,525 
			 Total 14,610,980 
			 (1) Development Grant (2) Feasibility Grant

Departmental Conferences

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on conferences in 2008-09.

Si�n Simon: My Department spent £133,398.30 on holding conferences in 2008-09. This figure includes running costs, room hire, hospitality and accommodation charges.

Departmental Meetings

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which  (a) individuals other than Ministerial colleagues and officials of his Department and  (b) organisations he met in an official capacity in the week commencing 9 November 2009.

Ben Bradshaw: In the week commencing 9 November, I met members of the International Press Institute; David Davies, the chair of the Listed Events Review; diplomats at the German embassy and young artists at the unveiling of an art work to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; members of the House of Lords Communications Committee at a formal hearing of the Committee; representatives of the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and Britain's architectural community at a reception at 10 Downing Street; and organisers of the London Jazz Festival at a parliamentary reception.

Departmental Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the statistical datasets collected by his Department it publishes.

Si�n Simon: As a matter of course, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport publishes all of its datasets which meet the definition of 'official statistics' set out in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. The statistics are published in accordance with the requirements set out in the 'Code of Practice for Official Statistics' and the 'National Statistician's Guidance on the Presentation and Publication of Official Statistics'.

Gaming Machines

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many self-exclusions have been  (a) in operation and  (b) breached in relation to gaming machines in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The requirement for licensed gambling operators to put into effect procedures for self-exclusion was introduced in September 2007 by the Gambling Commission. Figures on self-exclusion were published for the first time in the Commission's Industry Statistics for 2008-09. These are available at
	www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk
	and can be seen in the following table.
	Prior to the Gambling Act 2005 coming into force, self-exclusion arrangements were put in place on a voluntary basis by gambling operators and no central data were collected on their use.
	
		
			  Number of exclusions recorded by operators( 1)  Adult gaming centres  Family entertainment centres 
			 Self-exclusions 2,254 201 
			 Known breaches of self-exclusion 132 9 
			 Number of individuals who cancelled their self-exclusion after minimum exclusion period 513 67 
			 (1) The numbers of people who have self-excluded and the numbers of people who have cancelled their self-exclusion may be lower than these figures as individuals may have self-excluded from more than one venue and thus been counted more than once. The number of breaches represents the numbers of separate incidents, rather than the number of individuals.

Gaming Machines

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many gaming machines of each category have been located in  (a) betting shops,  (b) bingo halls,  (c) family entertainment centres,  (d) adult gaming centres and  (e) pubs, clubs and other social venues in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Prior to September 2007, the Gaming Board for Great Britain issued certificates to those who sold and maintained gaming machines. Local authorities issued permits for arcades, family entertainment centres and other premises that had amusement with prizes (AWP) machines; and magistrates issued permits for clubs, pubs and other premises with alcohol licence permitting consumption on the premises. The Gaming Board did not formally collect statistical data about the number of machines. In 2003, using industry data, it estimated that there were 255,000 gaming machines lawfully in operation in Great Britain.
	Since 1 September 2007, under the Gambling Act the provision of gaming machines has been regulated by the Gambling Commission. The table, using figures supplied by the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA), shows the approximate number of each categorised machine and their typical locations for each year since March 2008.
	
		
			  Category  Typical location( 1)  Approx imate( 2)  number of machines at March 2008  Approx imate( 2)  number of machines at March 2009 
			 A Regional casino only 0 0 
			 B1 Casino 2,000 2,500 
			 B2 Betting shop 27,000 27,500 
			 B3 Bingo halls and Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) 12,000 11,800 
			 B4 Registered clubs 17,000 15,000 
			 C Pubs, AGCs and Family Entertainment Centres (FECs) 131,000 121,000 
			 D AGCs and FECs 72,000 71,000 
			 (1) A full list of permitted locations is available on the Gambling Commission's website (http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/) (2) Numbers are the British Amusement Catering Trade Association's estimates

Horserace Totalisator Board

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which external parties he has met to discuss the proposed sale of the Tote.

Gerry Sutcliffe: So far, the external parties with whom I have discussed the proposed sale of the Tote have been Paul Roy and Nic Coward of Racing Enterprises Ltd., and the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies).

Sport England: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been allocated by Sport England to each of the national governing bodies for the  (a) Grow,  (b) Sustain and  (c) Excel element of Sport England's strategy.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The figures in the following table are based upon information provided to Sport England by national governing bodies at the time their 2009-13 awards were made in December 2008.
	For some NGBs (highlighted by asterisks) an exact Grow/Sustain/Excel breakdown was difficult to determine as their plans for the sport to grow and sustain participation, in particular, are hard to separate. In these cases, the figures are assumptions made by Sport England based on wider information contained in the Whole Sport Plans.
	As a result of some amendments made to the final figures in contractual discussions between Sport England and the NGBs concerned, there are some minor discrepancies between the Grow/Sustain/Excel figures in the breakdown and the actual final awards made.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Sport  Governing body  Grow  Sustain  Excel  Total  Actual award figure 
			 Angling Angling Development Board 0 1,414,632 147,274 1,561,906 1,561,906 
			 Archery* Grand National Archery Association 428,995 428,994 0 857,989 857,989 
			 Athletics UK Athletics 4,304,463 11,256,229 4,886,477 20,447,169 20,447,169 
			 Badminton Badminton England 4,280,592 11,217,488 5,301,923 20,800,003 20,800,000 
			 Baseball and softball Baseball Softball UK 1,441,249 1,258,751 0 2,700,000 2,700,000 
			 Basketball* England Basketball 4,100,000 4,100,000 0 8,200,000 8,200,000 
			 Boccia* C P Sport 408,021 408,020 0 816,041 816,041 
			 Bowls* English Indoor Bowling Association 378,375 378,375 0 756,750 756,750 
			 Boxing Amateur Boxing Association 846,000 2,820,000 1,034,000 4,700,000 4,700,000 
			 Canoeing British Canoe Union 1,785,640 3,484,627 3,200,310 8,470,577 8,470,577 
			 Cricket England and Wales Cricket Board 7,571,420 23,233,082 7,198,856 38,003,357 38,003,357 
			 Cycling British Cycling 5,680,000 11,704,354 6,903,654 23,244,840 23,244,832 
			 Equestrian British Equestrian Federation 638,436 2,598,004 1,031,562 4,268,002 4,268,002 
			 Fencing British Fencing Association 156,212 624,848 260,353 1,041,413 1,041,413 
			 Football The Football Association 5,852,096 17,546,904 2,236,000 25,635,000 25,635,000 
			 Goalball* British Blind Sport 177,000 177,000 0 354,000 354,000 
			 Golf England Golf Partnership 1,737,475 7,890,375 3,297,880 12,925,730 12,851,500 
			 Gymnastics British Gymnastics 1,964,786 6,248,822 3,174,873 11,388,481 11,388,481 
			 Handball* England Handball 322,650 322,650 0 645,300 645,300 
			 Hockey England Hockey 1,786,260 7,667,440 2,046,300 11,500,000 11,511,000 
			 Judo British Judo Association 2,418,280 5,924,041 1,899,680 10,242,001 10,242,001 
			 Lacrosse English Lacrosse Association 909,700 920,700 380,600 2,211,000 2,210,993 
			 Modern pentathlon Pentathlon GB 32,750 287,789 391,282 711,821 886,496 
			 Mountaineering British Mountaineering Council 227,500 822,350 238,000 1,287,850 1,287,850 
			 Movement and dance Exercise Movement and Dance Partnership 260,568 480,984 0 741,552 741,552 
			 Netball England Netball 4,172,855 6,906,070 6,579,191 17,658,116 17,658,116 
			 Orienteering British Orienteering Federation 1,114,000 446,000 715,000 2,275,000 2,275,000 
			 Rounders Rounders England 1,148,180 1,051,820 0 2,200,000 2,200,000 
			 Rowing British Rowing 2,775,344 5,099,575 1,225,081 9,100,000 9,100,000 
			 Rugby League Rugby Football League 5,748,237 15,593,986 8,066,119 29,408,341 29,408,341 
			 Rugby Union Rugby Football Union 7,837,452 16,868,791 6,018,665 30,724,908 31,219,004 
			 Sailing Royal Yachting Association 748,600 6,317,050 2,554,350 9,620,000 9,619,542 
			 Shooting GB Target Shooting Federation 0 710,000 40,000 750,000 750,000 
			 Snowsport Snowsport England 447,050 461,790 76,160 985,000 985,000 
			 Squash England Squash 2,671,050 5,756,950 4,668,192 13,096,192 13,096,192 
			 Swimming Amateur Swimming Association 5,186,570 8,305,378 7,378,346 20,870,294 20,875,000 
			 Table tennis English Table Tennis Association 1,437,308 5,537,951 2,326,144 9,301,404 9,301,404 
			 Taekwondo* To be confirmed 375,000 375,000 0 750,000 750,000 
			 Tennis Lawn Tennis Association 6,359,909 15,457,080 4,983,011 26,800,000 26,800,000 
			 Triathlon British Triathlon Federation 1,086,401 2,165,006 1,448,456 4,699,863 4,700,000 
			 Volleyball Volleyball England 1,387,347 3,419,313 793,340 5,600,000 5,600,000 
			 Waterskiing British Water Ski 102,824 206,049 642,500 951,373 951,373 
			 Weightlifting* British Weight Lifters' Association 304,547 304,547 0 609,094 609,094 
			 Wheelchair basketball GB Wheelchair Basketball Association 120,268 479,602 121,873 721,743 727,683 
			 Wheelchair rugby* GB Wheelchair Rugby 240,000 240,000 0 480,000 480,000 
			 Wrestling British Wrestling Association 112,060 144,176 75,588 331,824 331,824 
			   91,083,470 219,062,595 91,341,041 401,487,103 402,102,952

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he permits rabbits to be tested more than once in pyrogen tests under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Meg Hillier: The re-use of rabbits in pyrogen tests is permitted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Consent for re-use of animals in procedures is generally conditional upon the animal having suffered no significant adverse effects as a consequence of the first use, and its not having been subjected to any intervention which compromises its suitability as a subject for the second or subsequent protocol. Authority to re-use any animal that has experienced significant adverse effects in its previous use is unlikely to be granted.

Animal Experiments

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many facilities are licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to carry out pyrogen tests on rabbits.

Meg Hillier: Home Office records show that four establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 have completed statistical returns during the last three years reporting pyrogen tests on rabbits.

Ian Tomlinson

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Independent Police Complaints Commission report on the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests to be published.

David Hanson: This is a matter for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), and the hon. Member's query has been passed to them for consideration.

Identity Cards

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who are not required to have a compulsory identity card have applied for a voluntary national identity card.

Meg Hillier: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, announced in a written ministerial statement on 30 June 2009,  Official Report, column 11WS that the introduction of identity cards for all British citizens will be voluntary, including those issued to airside workers at Manchester and London City airports.
	Since 20 October, up to and including 24 November, 1,107 eligible volunteers, from the Greater Manchester area, London and the two airports, have made an appointment to enrol for an identity card.

Identity Cards

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who are not required to have a compulsory identity card and do not work for his Department, its executive agencies, or sponsored non-departmental public bodies, have voluntarily applied for a voluntary national identity card.

Meg Hillier: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, announced in a written ministerial statement on 30 June 2009,  Official Report, column 11WS that the introduction of identity cards for all British citizens will be voluntary, including those issued to airside workers at Manchester and London City airports.
	Since 20 October, up to and including 24 November, 1,107 eligible volunteers, from the Greater Manchester area, London and the two airports, have made an appointment to enrol for an identity card. The information held on the National Identity Register does not include the basis of an individual's eligibility to apply for an identity card.

Identity Cards: Greater Manchester

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 11 November 2009,  Official Report, column 430W on identity cards, how many people in Greater Manchester have requested an identity card; and what proportion of the total eligible population of Manchester this represents.

Meg Hillier: Up to and including 20 November, approximately 2,445 people from the Greater Manchester area have expressed an interest in continuing to be updated about the National Identity Service via the Early Interest Website.
	Since 20 October, 749 people have made an appointment to enrol in Greater Manchester for an identity card.
	From 30 November, in Greater Manchester, approximately 1.7 million people will be eligible to apply for an identity card.

Motorcycles

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances  (a) police and  (b) Highways Agency traffic officers may order groups of two or more motorcyclists travelling together on public highways to (i) travel separately on the same route and (ii) take separate routes.

David Hanson: There is no specific power to split up groups of motorcyclists. The police and on certain roads Highways Agency traffic officers have a general power to direct a person driving or propelling any vehicle, including a motorcycle, to stop, proceed in, or keep to a particular line of traffic. It is an offence not to comply with such a direction. Exercise of the power to direct vehicles on particular occasions and in particular circumstances is an operational matter for the police and Highways Agency. It may be to reduce or prevent crime, to increase safety, or to regulate traffic.

Motorcycles

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether guidance has been provided for police forces on the policing of groups of two or more motorcyclists travelling in convoy on public highways.

David Hanson: Neither the Home Office nor the Association of Chief Police Officers has issued such guidance. Policing of roads is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police.

Opinion Polls

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library copies of the reports of all opinion polling commissioned by his Department in the last 12 months.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office does not publish hard copies of the opinion polling results to save expense but they are available electronically online. Results are regularly published on the Department's website and can be found at the following location:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/publications/our-service-to-you/
	Similarly, the results for the UK Border Agency can be found at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/public-attitudes-surveys/
	Results for the Identity and Passport Service can be found at:
	http://www.ips.gov.uk/cps/rde/xchg/ips_live/hs.xsl/22htm
	The most recent sets of polling results are due to be published in the same locations before the end of the year.

Police Custody

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police custody cells there are in  (a) Dacorum and  (b) Hemel Hempstead; what his plans are for the future number of such cells in each area; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The management of the police estate and the allocation of resources in the borough of Dacorum and Hemel Hempstead is a matter for the chief constable of Hertfordshire and Hertfordshire police authority, who are responsible for assessing local needs.

SCOTLAND

Christmas

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Christmas parties his Department plans to host in 2009; what has been budgeted for each such reception; what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) lamb,  (b) beef,  (c) chicken,  (d) pork,  (e) turkey,  (f) other meats,  (g) vegetables,  (h) fruit and  (i) alcohol to be served at each such function which is produced in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: My Department does not plan to host any Christmas parties in 2009.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what efficiency savings projects his Department put in place under the Operational Efficiency Programme; on what date each such project was initiated; how much each such project was expected to contribute to departmental savings; how much had been saved through each such project on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office is part of Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The MoJ's contribution towards the Operational Efficiency Programme will be announced in the pre-Budget report.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to his Department by its staff since 6 June 2006.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has received no allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing since 6 June 2006.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on  (a) purchasing and  (b) operating (i) Blackberrys and (ii) other mobile telephones in 2006 to 2009.

Ann McKechin: Information is not available in the form requested. The total costs of Blackberrys and other mobile phones, including the cost of equipment, call charges and line rental, are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Blackberrys  Other mobile phones 
			 2006-07 3,679.12 3,460.19 
			 2007-08 2,073.78 3,983.52 
			 2008-09 8,311.30 2,107.50

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by his Department in each of the last three years.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has paid no bonuses or incentives to consultants or contractors.

Departmental Scientists

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many  (a) scientific advisers and  (b) civil servants in scientific posts there are in his Department.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has no scientific advisers or civil servants in scientific posts.

Departmental Taxis

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what contracts his Department has with private hire taxi companies; and what expenditure his Department has incurred against each such contract in each of the last three years.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office have one contract in place to provide private hire taxi services in Edinburgh. The costs in each of the last three years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 2006-07 4,692.76 
			 2007-08 3,987.98 
			 2008-09 4,234.10

NORTHERN IRELAND

Climate Change

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants from his Department will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in an official capacity.

Paul Goggins: No Ministers or officials from my Department will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in an official capacity.

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by his Department in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office, including its arms length bodies and the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, has made no bonus or incentive payments to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors in each of the last three years.

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: No executive agencies of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) have made bonus or incentive payments to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors in each of the last three years.
	The NIO does not hold this information for its non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). This is an operational matter for each of the NIO's executive NDPBs, who operate independently of Government. I would encourage the hon. Member to write to the respective Chief Executives. Details of the NIO's NDPBs can be found on page seven of the NIO 2009 Departmental Report at
	http://www.nio.gov.uk/northern_ireland_office_ departmental_report_2009.pdf

WALES

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2008-09; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: In 2008-09, five staff in the Wales Office received end of year appraisal bonuses, to reward outstanding performance, representing 9 per cent. of the workforce. The total figure paid in bonuses was £6,000, a non-pensionable lump sum. Each of the five members of staff received £1,200, a fixed amount set by the Ministry of Justice.

Departmental Theft

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of his Department's officials have  (a) been reprimanded,  (b) had their contract of employment terminated and  (c) been prosecuted for theft of departmental property in each of the last three years; and what items were stolen in each case.

Peter Hain: None.

Departmental Working Hours

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what proportion of staff of his Department work flexibly or part-time; and what his Department's policy is on making jobs available on a job-share or flexible basis.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office employs a total of five staff on a flexible or part-time working contract, which makes up 8 per cent. of the total workforce.
	The Wales Office encourages flexible working. In line with the MOJ flexible working policy, all Wales Office posts are open to applicants on a job share or reduced hours basis.

TREASURY

Child Tax Credit

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in  (a) the UK,  (b) England,  (c) the North East and  (d) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency have claimed child tax credits in each year since their introduction.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of the average number of recipient families and their entitlements to tax credits, by Government office region, local authority and parliamentary constituency, for each year between 2003-04 and 2007-08, are available in the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publications 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses', available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	The same information for 2008-09 is not yet available as awards have not yet been finalised. However, estimates of the number of recipient families with tax credits, based on provisional awards, as at 1 April 2009, are available in the HMRC snapshot publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical analyses. April 2009', available at the same web address.

Departmental Official Cars

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of providing official cars for the use of  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No estimate has been made of the cost of providing official cares to Minsters and officials in the last 12 months. In 2008-09, £582,000 was spent on the provision of official cars for Ministers and officials in HM Treasury.

Departmental Recruitment

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of jobs advertised by his Department in the last 12 months were online only applications; and what provision his Department makes for those wishing to apply for jobs in his Department who do not have access to the internet.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: From November 2008 to October 2009, 4 per cent. of Treasury recruitment campaigns only accepted online applications. In these instances, a telephone support number and email address were provided to assist candidates who had difficulties accessing the online application system.
	All other vacancies allowed candidates to submit application forms via email or hard copy.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the merits of introducing an automatic callback request feature for callers to his Department's telephone helplines in order to minimise the cost to callers.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 74W. HM Treasury has no plans to introduce an automatic callback facility.

Gurkhas: Pensions

Jo Swinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an estimate of the cost to the Exchequer of providing welfare benefits and pensions on terms equivalent to those of the armed forces pension scheme for those Gurkha ex-servicemen who retired prior to 1 July 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 23 November 2009
	I have been asked to reply.
	There have been no recent estimates made of the cost of welfare benefits for those former members of the Brigade of Gurkhas and their dependants who have already settled in the UK or may choose to do so as a result of the discretions announced earlier this year. Nor has there been any estimate of the total cost of welfare benefits for those Gurkhas still serving who choose to settle in the UK when they leave the armed forces.
	When the publication of the revised guidance was announced in April 2009, it was estimated, following cross-Government consultation, that the likely annual cost of allowing all former Gurkhas to settle in the UK would be £1.4 billion.
	The cost of providing retired Gurkhas with Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) equivalent pension benefits for all pensionable service before 1 July 1997 has been estimated at £1.5 billion over 20 years.

Housing: Construction

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to stimulate the house building industry;
	(2)  what plans he has to assist the house building industry in the next two years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: At Budget 2009, the Government announced a £600 million housing package to stimulate housing development and boost capacity in the house-building industry. On 29 June, the Government announced in Building Britain's Future that they are investing a further £1.5 billion over the next two years to build an extra 20,000 new energy efficient, good quality, social and affordable homes, and a further 10,000 additional homes for private sale.
	Taken together, over £900 million will be allocated over the next two years via the Kickstart Housing Delivery Programme to unlock development on currently stalled housing sites. We expect an additional 22,000 new homes, of which up to 8,000 will be affordable, to be delivered with support from these programmes. £340 million in funding will also be made available to local authorities to deliver new social housing at higher energy efficiency standards, expected to deliver up to 3,900 new homes.
	This is in addition to previous announcements in September 2008 of support to the house-building industry and first-time buyers, including the temporary stamp duty land tax holiday and the provision of £300 million in funding for HomeBuy Direct, and the Government's fiscal stimulus at pre-Budget report 2008.

Private Finance Initiative

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which projects funded under the private finance initiative have received loans from the  (a) European Investment Bank and  (b) Infrastructure Finance Unit; what the amount of such loans was; and in how many cases such a loan represented the single largest contribution to the cost of a project.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury's Infrastructure Finance Unit has lent £120 million to the Greater Manchester Waste PFI; the largest contribution for this project came from the European Investment Bank who lent £182 million. Details of the Bank's other lending are available from its website
	www.eib.org/projects/loans/regions/european-union/gb.htm

Private Rented Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase to £9,000 the income tax threshold for income earned through renting a room in a property.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what average annual income each homeowner who rented out a spare room or rooms in their property obtained from such rents in the latest 12 month period for which information is available;
	(2)  how many homeowners in each region are renting out a room in their property;
	(3)  what the tax revenue to the Exchequer from homeowners renting out a room in their property was in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: All taxes are kept under review, with any changes announced by the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.
	Based on the Family Resources Survey, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimate that the average annual income obtained from renting out a room was £3,000 in 2007-08. Estimated numbers of homeowners renting out rooms by region are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Government office region  Number of homeowners 
			 North East 1,200 
			 North West 5,600 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 4,500 
			 East Midlands 4,200 
			 West Midlands 6,100 
			 East of England 11,600 
			 London 40,200 
			 South East 25,800 
			 South West 20,300 
			 Wales 3,700 
			 Scotland 5,800 
			 Northern Ireland 1,000 
			 Total 130,000 
		
	
	HMRC's administrative systems do not hold sufficiently detailed information to estimate the tax revenue attributable to renting out a room. Estimates of the cost of the rent-a-room income tax relief are provided in 'Tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs' published alongside the annual pre-Budget report and available on the Treasury's website.

Taxation: Low Incomes

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the tax cost of exempting from  (a) income tax and  (b) national insurance contributions liability those earning the national minimum wage.

Stephen Timms: It is not possible to provide a reliable estimate because of the information requirements and the behavioural effects it would produce.
	The introduction of an exemption from income tax and disregard for NICs would have significant behavioural effects as it would introduce a cliff edge to the taxation of employees, and would mean that the personal allowance could be used to offset other income. In addition, a disregard for national insurance purposes would have serious implications for contributory benefit entitlement.
	The alternate approach would be to increase the income tax personal allowance and primary threshold for class 1 NICs to the annual level of pay received by someone working full-time at the NMW. The cost of this can be determined from HM Treasury's Tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs, the next edition of which will be published as part of the 2009 Pre-Budget Report supplementary documents on 9 December 2009.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan and Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British armed forces personnel have received serious groin injuries in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq since 2007.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence publishes the numbers of personnel categorised as Very Seriously Injured and Seriously Injured as a result of Operations Telic and Herrick on its website
	www.mod.uk
	The figures are updated fortnightly. In addition, we are committed to publishing on a quarterly basis the numbers of service personnel who have suffered limb amputations as a result of injuries sustained while on operational deployment. However, in order both to protect the identities of small numbers of patients and to maintain operational security for the effectiveness of our protective countermeasures, we do not routinely publish VSI and SI sub-classified by other types of physical injury.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of protection provided for translators engaged by UK forces in Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: We take our responsibilities towards locally employed staff in Afghanistan very seriously and have in place a number of measures to reduce the risks they face. Security of all staff is kept under review and actively managed, and staff are encouraged to raise any concerns. We are unable to provide specific details about these measures, as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice their capability, effectiveness and security.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Chinook helicopters  (a) have been sent to Afghanistan in the last six months and  (b) are planned to be sent for support operations in the next six months.

Bill Rammell: I am not able to give details of the numbers of helicopters delivered to Afghanistan because the release of this information would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of our armed forces.
	However, since November 2006 we have increased the number of airframes by 79 per cent. and flying hours by 95 per cent. We are also converting eight Chinook Mk 3 aircraft to a support helicopter role, with the first of these aircraft being made available for training before the end of this year, and the remaining seven being delivered to Joint Helicopter Command by the end of 2010. This will allow us to deliver more Chinooks to Afghanistan during 2010.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision his Department makes for compensation for British soldiers who incur severe groin injuries whilst serving in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

Kevan Jones: The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2005 makes provision of compensation for all members and former members of the Regular Armed Forces or Reserve Forces should they be injured, become ill or die as a result of service.
	Awards are tariff based depending upon the nature and severity of the injury. There is no standard provision for particular types of injury or theatre of operation.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Quick Impact Projects his Department has  (a) supported and  (b) participated in in the Babaji area of Helmand Province since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: There has been no stabilisation activity in the Babaji area of Helmand Province before August of 2009, as up until the recent clearance operations, civilian-military teams were unable to gain access, due to the security situation there. The term Quick Impact Projects is no longer used. However, we do provide commanders with the ability to address immediate, tactical and local, consent/stabilisation issues in Babaji and elsewhere in theatre via the Commanders Stabilisation Fund (CSF). Medium and longer term initiatives in theatre (including Babaji) are the responsibility of the Provincial Reconstruction Team which is, in turn, the responsibility of the FCO.

Air Force

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours Royal Air Force pilots spent transporting dignitaries in each of the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: For the purposes of this question we have defined dignitaries to be Government Ministers, other parliamentarians and members of the Royal family.
	Dignitaries have been transported by RAF aircraft on a number of occasions over the last 12 months. The number of hours that have been spent by RAF pilots transporting dignitaries is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Air Force: Training

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours Royal Air Force pilots spent undergoing training in each of the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: The centralised collation to record flying hours ceased in 2007-08. This information could be obtained only from individuals in squadrons or training establishments throughout the Royal Air Force at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Allergies

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what his policy is on the eligibility of people with nut allergies for service in the armed forces;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of service personnel in each armed service who have nut allergies;
	(3)  whether members of the armed forces with a declared nut allergy are allowed to serve on operations;
	(4)  if he will consider the merits of providing special ration packs for members of the armed forces who have nut allergies.

Kevan Jones: It is our policy that armed forces personnel should be recruited to be fully fit for deployment worldwide on operations. For this reason, the services do not recruit or commission personnel with existing medical conditions which require special diets, such as those with nut allergies. We currently have no plans to review this policy.
	This policy is intended to protect such individuals from military circumstances which may adversely impact upon their condition and to ensure the effectiveness of the armed forces. Although it may be possible to accommodate the special dietary requirements of those with nut allergies in a UK-based unit, or possibly on a large ship or at a major overseas base, we cannot guarantee to provide a special diet in the field or when deployed on operations, and individuals are recruited on the basis that they will be able to deploy world-wide. In such circumstances, it would be quite wrong to run risks which could impact on the individual and his or her colleagues on operations. In some cases, personnel will depend on food supplied locally, and our ability to assure nut-free status would not always be possible-as would certainly be the case if an individual were to be captured by enemy forces, for example.
	The single services manage individuals who develop nut allergies during their service careers according to their specific operational requirements and each case will be considered on an individual basis. While we will make every effort to retain in-service individuals who subsequently develop this and similar conditions, provided that there are worthwhile military roles for them to fulfil, they may have to be re-graded and will probably not be able to deploy on operations. Again, this will depend on the severity of the individual's allergy; those with life-threatening allergies will almost certainly not be deployed to operational theatres, due to factors such as requirement of access to emergency treatment and storage requirements of the medication required by these individuals. This also applies to other disabilities which arise in service, but the forces do not recruit individuals where they would only be able to serve in a medically restricted capacity from the outset.
	The total number of individuals who were diagnosed with nut allergies while serving in the armed forces and are currently still serving is not held centrally, and could be provided only by examining the medical records of all personnel at disproportionate cost.
	Since individuals with nut allergies will not usually be deployed, ration packs tailored for such individuals are not produced. Since most food consumption on deployment is delivered by mass catering, often using local sources, and for other reasons noted above, provision of such ration packs would not circumvent the barriers to deployment for those who suffer nut allergies.

Armed Forces: Allergies

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what special ration packs are provided to the armed forces to meet specific dietary requirements of service personnel.

Kevan Jones: The 24 hour operational ration pack, which is available for operations, exercises and training, includes the following variants: General Purpose, which is suitable for personnel without specific dietary requirements; Halal; Sikh/Hindu; and Vegetarian, which is also suitable for Kosher diets.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many families have been evicted from service family accommodation for failing to vacate the premises during the agreed 93-day notice to vacate period in each of the last five years; and for what reason each family was being asked to vacate premises.

Kevan Jones: Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is provided to accommodate entitled Service personnel and their families. When occupants cease to be entitled to SFA and do not vacate, the Department is required to take steps to recover possession of the property. In the first instance DE will write to the occupant advising that they are required to vacate the property within 93 days. DE will be as flexible as possible and will extend this so as to accommodate children's schooling, holidays, etc. or to allow occupants the maximum possible time to secure alternative accommodation arrangements.
	The number of eviction orders served on occupants of SFA in Great Britain up to April 2008 and the UK thereafter in the last five years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of eviction orders 
			 2004 110 
			 2005 102 
			 2006 62 
			 2007 84 
			 2008 113 
			 2009 (to 24 November) 68 
		
	
	Records showing the reasons why entitlement to SFA ceased in each case are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many landlords of  (a) substitute service family accommodation and  (b) substitute service single accommodation properties are currently members of the armed forces in each region.

Kevan Jones: The occupation of the landlords who provide substitute accommodation is not recorded by this Department.

Defence Equipment

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to provide armed forces personnel with body armour which includes groin protection.

Quentin Davies: We have spent £35 million over the last three years providing new body armour for troops on operations. We are continually seeking ways to protect our personnel, and work is well under way to research ways of providing additional protection for the perineal area.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to his Department by its staff since 6 June 2006.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Food

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) lamb,  (b) beef,  (c) chicken,  (d) pork,  (e) turkey,  (f) other meats,  (g) vegetables and  (h) fruit procured by his Department that was produced in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: A report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments, and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service, was published in November 2008, covering the year from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. This report, and the first one covering the previous year, can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/awareness.htm
	Overall, the proportion of domestically produced food procured by MOD has increased from 43 per cent. in 2006-07 to 59 per cent. in 2007-08.
	The third report of this nature will be published in due course, and will demonstrate the work being undertaken to find opportunities to source British products, while working within the legal framework governing public procurement.
	We are hoping to be able to provide specific MOD figures shortly.

Departmental Land

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) television programmes and  (b) films have been filmed on locations owned by his Department in each of the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Recruitment

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of jobs advertised by his Department in the last 12 months were online only applications; and what provision his Department makes for those wishing to apply for jobs in his Department who do not have access to the internet.

Kevan Jones: In the 12 months up to 26 October 2009, no jobs advertised in the Ministry of Defence were restructured to online applications only.
	From 26 October 2009, the Ministry of Defence is seeking to encourage the use of online applications for jobs advertised externally, via the website:
	www.civilianjobs.mod.uk.
	Greater online applications should deliver an improved external recruitment service and generate efficiencies. The new arrangements still permit offline applications in cases where disability prevents internet access and are fully compliant with the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners' (OCSC) principles of fair and open competition and selection on merit.

Departmental Recycling

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what weight of paper his Department recycled in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence holds data on the percentage of total waste recycled but not specifically on the weight of paper recycled.
	As part of reporting against the Sustainable Operation on the Government Estate targets, the MOD in 2008 agreed with the Office of Government Commerce a new waste baseline for MOD activities. In 2008-09 the Department recycled or reused 51 per cent. of its waste. Recycling and reuse figures prior to 2008-09, based on the best available data at the time and so not directly comparable, were: 34 per cent. for 2007-08; 37 per cent. for 2006-07; 38.5 per cent. for 2005-06, and 22.6 per cent. for 2004-05.

Devonport Dockyard

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Devonport dockyards have been issued with the relevant safety certificates to receive the Trident submarines for refuelling.

Quentin Davies: Devonport Dockyard holds the documentation that is necessary to allow the Vanguard class submarines to be received for refuelling. The documentation consists of a suite of safety cases which covers all aspects of Vanguard submarine operations, including berthing, movements and refuelling. These safety cases are required for Devonport Dockyard to maintain its site licence under the Nuclear Installation Act (1965).

Devonport Dockyard

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of Devonport dockyard's capability to meet the refuelling requirements of the Trident submarines.

Quentin Davies: Devonport Dockyard is fully capable of meeting the nuclear refuelling requirements of the Vanguard class submarines. The most recent assessment of this capability was completed on 7 October 2009.
	This assessment included a review of the equipment, procedures and personnel required to undertake the refuelling of HMS Vigilant. Such assessments are undertaken before each refuelling of the Vanguard class.
	Devonport Dockyard is a licensed site under the Nuclear Installations Act (1965). This licence is granted by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and approved by the MOD Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR). Operations at Devonport Dockyard are carried out in accordance with site licence conditions and the facility safety case.

Ex-servicemen: Radiation Exposure

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many decisions for war pension awards causally linked to service for any condition other than leukaemia and polcythaemia rubra vera have made a finding that a nuclear test veteran was exposed to radiation whilst participating in UK nuclear tests.

Kevan Jones: Data are not held in the format requested.
	War pensions are individually determined on the basis of all appropriate medical evidence, and the War Pension Computer System (WPCS) only contains the outcomes of this detailed assessment. Therefore, although the medical conditions claimed and awarded are held, details of the specific causes of these medical conditions are not recorded on WPCS. The manual search of many thousands of files would be required to provide the information requested and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq: Network Centre Operations

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent US and UK land-based military services in Iraq share a common information platform to support network centre operations (NCOs); and what innovations have been implemented to improve NCOs in Iraq since 2005.

Bill Rammell: Military information sharing between US and UK has improved since Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Iraq, information transfer was between national-only networks. In Afghanistan, UK land environment forces routinely work within the NATO ISAF information domain while keeping a smaller amount of national-only capability for information that is less readily shared with allies. The US have also taken up this approach, which means UK, US and other allies are routinely conducting operations using the same information domain.

Kentigern House

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence  (a) how much is expected to be made from the sale of and  (b) what the projected costs to the public purse are over the 20 year lease period of the sale and leaseback of the MoD Kentigern House site.

Kevan Jones: The property was advertised for offers in excess of £47.4 million in return for a 20 year lease in favour of the Ministry of Defence, at an initial market rent of £3.511 million per annum with annual fixed increases of 2 per cent. per annum compounded every five years. There are no other additional costs anticipated.
	Offers in excess of the asking price were received but remain subject to the completion of formal legal missives and are thus regarded as commercially confidential.

Kentigern House

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation was held with the Public and Commercial Services union prior to the decision being made to market the Kentigern House site on a sale and leaseback basis.

Kevan Jones: The proposed sale and leaseback of Kentigern House is an estate management initiative which does not threaten any jobs or affect the terms and conditions of employment of any Ministry of Defence employee or contractor.
	Consequently, there was no need to formally consult with the trade unions, but, subject to commercial sensitivities, staff have been kept fully informed of progress by local management through a series of briefings discussions.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future status of employees of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 25 November 2009
	As part of our continuing drive to consider the scope for increased value for money in all aspects of Defence, we will be looking at the current arrangement for delivering Maritime Operational Support through the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Broadband

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of the population has access to broadband of 2 Mbps or more.

Stephen Timms: We estimate that today 89 per cent. of homes can readily get a 2 Mbps (or higher) broadband service (as reported in the Digital Britain White Paper, June 2009).

Copyright: Internet

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether  (a) the Secretary of State and  (b) he and other Ministers in his Department have discussed (i) internet piracy, (ii) online file-sharing and (iii) online digital media with David Geffen.

Stephen Timms: As we have made clear on numerous occasions there has not been any discussion with David Geffen on internet piracy, file-sharing or on digital media more generally-something that Mr. Geffen himself has confirmed. More generally Ministers do, of course, quite properly discuss these things with a wide spectrum of stakeholders.

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by his Department in each year since his Department was established;
	(2)  what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible in each of the last three years.

Patrick McFadden: Information on bonuses and incentives paid to consultants and contractors engaged by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is not held centrally and would incur disproportionate costs.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Department's executive agencies and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	Information on NDPBs is not held centrally and due to the volume of NDPBs, would incur disproportionate cost.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 26 November 2009:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 18 November 2009, UIN 300650, to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	In the last three years Companies House has paid a one-off bonus of £50 each to 26 contractors on completion of the Companies Act Project. A contractual payment of £20,000 was also paid during this time as a final bonus payment to a consultant on completion of the Companies House Implementation Process System (CHIPS).
	 Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 25 November 2009:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 18 November 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Office has paid no incentives to consultants or contractors in any of the last three years. The Office also paid no bonuses to consultants or contractors in any of the last three years, with the single exception that in 2008/09 one IT contractor was paid a bonus of £705.
	 Letter from Sarah Glasspool for and on behalf of Peter Mason, dated 25 November 2009:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 18 November 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The National Measurement Office has not paid any bonuses or incentives to consultants or contractors in the last three years.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 26 November 2009:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question what (a) bonuses and (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible in each of the last three years.
	The Insolvency Service made one bonus payment in 2007 totalling £20,000 +VAT, paid to a contractor, against delivery milestones. There have been no other bonus payments made in the last three years.

Students: Loans

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in each age group resident in each local authority area in the South East had not repaid their student loan at the latest date for which figures are available.

David Lammy: Borrowers become liable to repay their loans in the April after they leave their course (the Statutory Repayment Due Date, SRDD). After that date those with earnings of over £15,000 will repay, usually by deductions from salary. Those liable to repay who have not yet made a repayment will include borrowers whose earnings are below the repayment threshold, have gone on to further study or are doing voluntary work.
	The table covers income contingent loan borrowers past SRDD with a known repayment or non-repayment position by whether or not they have made a repayment.
	
		
			  Income contingent loan borrowers past SRDD, March 2009( 1) 
			  Age band  Numbers who have not yet made a repayment  Numbers who have made a repayment  Total 
			  Bracknell Forest
			 Less than 20 (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 20 to 24 190 410 600 
			 25 to 29 150 1,070 1,220 
			 30 to 39 50 100 140 
			 40 to 49 30 40 60 
			 50 and over 10 20 30 
			 Total 430 1,630 2,050 
			 
			  Brighton and Hove
			 Less than 20 (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 20 to 24 360 520 880 
			 25 to 29 540 1,630 2,170 
			 30 to 39 490 840 1,330 
			 40 to 49 190 310 500 
			 50 and over 60 70 130 
			 Total 1,640 3,370 5,010 
			 
			  Buckinghamshire
			 Less than 20 10 (2)- 20 
			 20 to 24 1,190 2,430 3,620 
			 25 to 29 1,050 6,240 7,290 
			 30 to 39 240 500 740 
			 40 to 49 120 210 340 
			 50 and over 60 90 140 
			 Total 2,670 9,470 12,140 
			 
			  East Sussex
			 Less than 20 10 10 20 
			 20 to 24 1,040 1,660 2,700 
			 25 to 29 970 4,530 5,500 
			 30 to 39 290 590 880 
			 40 to 49 170 250 420 
			 50 and over 110 120 230 
			 Total 2,600 7,140 9,740 
			 
			  Hampshire
			 Less than 20 30 20 40 
			 20 to 24 2,570 5,290 7,870 
			 25 to 29 2,220 13,830 16,050 
			 30 to 39 600 1,490 2,090 
			 40 to 49 370 770 1,130 
			 50 and over 180 240 420 
			 Total 5,970 21,630 27,590 
			 
			  Isle of Wight
			 Less than 20 (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 20 to 24 310 420 730 
			 25 to 29 280 1,250 1,530 
			 30 to 39 80 180 260 
			 40 to 49 40 90 130 
			 50 and over 30 30 60 
			 Total 740 1,980 2,710 
			 
			  Kent
			 Less than 20 30 10 40 
			 20 to 24 2,710 5,050 7,760 
			 25 to 29 2,380 12,930 15,310 
			 30 to 39 740 1,680 2,420 
			 40 to 49 480 810 1,300 
			 50 and over 220 310 520 
			 Total 6,550 20,790 27,340 
			 
			  Medway
			 Less than 20 10 (2)- 10 
			 20 to 24 470 950 1,420 
			 25 to 29 420 2,020 2,440 
			 30 to 39 120 270 390 
			 40 to 49 90 170 270 
			 50 and over 40 50 90 
			 Total 1,140 3,480 4,610 
			 
			  Milton Keynes
			 Less than 20 10 10 10 
			 20 to 24 410 830 1,240 
			 25 to 29 410 2,110 2,520 
			 30 to 39 130 220 340 
			 40 to 49 60 100 160 
			 50 and over 20 30 50 
			 Total 1,040 3,300 4,330 
			 
			  Oxfordshire
			 Less than 20 (2)- 10 10 
			 20 to 24 1,270 2,240 3,520 
			 25 to 29 1,240 6,570 7,800 
			 30 to 39 430 930 1,360 
			 40 to 49 190 410 600 
			 50 and over 70 120 190 
			 Total 3,200 10,280 13,490 
			 
			  Portsmouth
			 Less than 20 (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 20 to 24 160 380 540 
			 25 to 29 260 1,290 1,550 
			 30 to 39 190 450 640 
			 40 to 49 110 200 310 
			 50 and over 40 80 120 
			 Total 760 2,390 3,150 
			 
			  Reading
			 Less than 20 (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 20 to 24 190 400 590 
			 25 to 29 200 1,100 1,300 
			 30 to 39 100 230 330 
			 40 to 49 40 110 150 
			 50 and over 10 30 40 
			 Total 540 1,870 2,410 
			 
			  Slough
			 Less than 20 (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 20 to 24 230 470 710 
			 25 to 29 270 1,220 1,490 
			 30 to 39 50 120 170 
			 40 to 49 20 40 60 
			 50 and over 10 10 20 
			 Total 580 1,870 2,450 
			 
			  Southampton
			 Less than 20 (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 20 to 24 340 500 840 
			 25 to 29 360 1,460 1,830 
			 30 to 39 180 440 620 
			 40 to 49 70 130 200 
			 50 and over 30 30 70 
			 Total 980 2,570 3,550 
			 
			  Surrey
			 Less than 20 20 10 30 
			 20 to 24 2,190 4,770 6,960 
			 25 to 29 2,060 12,590 14,650 
			 30 to 39 440 1,040 1,480 
			 40 to 49 210 420 630 
			 50 and over 90 140 230 
			 Total 5,020 18,960 23,980 
			 
			  West Berkshire
			 Less than 20 (2)- (2)- 10 
			 20 to 24 310 650 960 
			 25 to 29 230 1,740 1,970 
			 30 to 39 50 120 170 
			 40 to 49 40 50 90 
			 50 and over 10 20 40 
			 Total 640 2,580 3,230 
			 
			  West Sussex
			 Less than 20 20 10 40 
			 20 to 24 1,470 2,720 4,190 
			 25 to 29 1,380 7,510 8,890 
			 30 to 39 360 900 1,260 
			 40 to 49 220 420 640 
			 50 and over 110 130 240 
			 Total 3,550 11,690 15,240 
			 
			  Windsor and Maidenhead
			 Less than 20 (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 20 to 24 310 650 960 
			 25 to 29 270 1,630 1,900 
			 30 to 39 70 120 190 
			 40 to 49 30 50 80 
			 50 and over 10 10 20 
			 Total 690 2,470 3,160 
			 
			  Wokingham
			 Less than 20 (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 20 to 24 360 910 1,280 
			 25 to 29 310 2,280 2,590 
			 30 to 39 60 150 220 
			 40 to 49 30 60 80 
			 50 and over 10 30 40 
			 Total 780 3,430 4,210 
			 (1)Table covers income-contingent loan borrowers past SRDD and for whom at least one year of repayment history has been closed off so that the repayment/non-repayment position can be determined. Excludes transitional year loans taken out in academic year 2008/09. Gives the local authority in which the borrower was resident at the time of application for student finance; this does not indicate current residence. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. Age is shown at the end of the last tax year for which repayment/non-repayment information has been posted, mainly end of tax year 2007/08.  (2)Less than five borrowers.   Source:  Student Loans Company

Telephone Services

Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures to regulate telephone numbers with  (a) 0844, (b) 0845,  (c) 0870 and  (d) 0871 prefixes; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Government have made no recent assessments as the independent regulator Ofcom has responsibility for telephone numbers in the UK.
	Ofcom, in 2006, strengthened its price publication rules, requiring operators to make it easier for consumers to find out about the cost of calling 08 numbers. Operators are now required to state maximum charges for calls to 08 numbers in promotional material and also to specify whether 08 calls are included in call packages.
	Calls to 0845 numbers are often charged at a small premium from fixed networks. For instance, BT's maximum charge for an 0845 call is 3.867p per minute (including VAT) but most BT customers pay no more than 1.9p per minute. There are also signs that competition is exerting downward pressure on prices. Earlier this year, BT included 0845 in its calling plans on the same basis as 01, 02 and 03 numbers and at least one other operator has since followed BT's lead.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) assessed any internal or external reports on the effectiveness of its work in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's work in Afghanistan is kept under regular review. The Government's strategy for Afghanistan has a number of medium-term goals and outcomes and progress against these is regularly assessed. Measurement indicators include progress on building the capacity of government institutions against a range of economic indicators. Ministers regularly review progress against these.

Afghanistan: Corruption

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what commitments he has  (a) sought and  (b) received from the Afghan Government regarding political reform and action against corruption; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: President Karzai made his commitment to political reform and tackling corruption, including the appointment of clean and competent Ministers and governors, clear in his inauguration speech of 19 November 2009. We welcome the emphasis he placed on the need for Ministers to have integrity and professionalism, and look forward to the announcement of his Cabinet. We regularly discuss the need to tackle corruption with the Afghan Government and offer technical support, for example in providing a multi-agency task force to support the implementation of an anti-corruption strategy.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whom the Prime Minister plans to invite to the forthcoming conference on the future of Afghanistan to be held in London.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has offered to hold a conference on Afghanistan in London.
	We are currently working up the potential scope of the conference. More information will be made available in due course.

Belarus: Capital Punishment

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation he has made to the Belarus Government on the decision of the Belarus Supreme Court to reject the appeals of Vasily Yusepchuk and Andrei Zhuk against the death sentence; and what discussions he has had on the matter at the Council of Europe.

Chris Bryant: We and EU partners have raised the cases of Vasily Yusepchuk and Andrei Zhuk with the Belarusian authorities on a number of occasions. We also took part in a European Commission press conference on 12 October 2009 to mark World Day Against the Death Penalty. I referenced two cases in a Westminster Hall debate on the global abolition of the death penalty on 28 October 2009,  Official Report, column 71WH. EU member states are working with local and international non-governmental organisations to promote public debate, and publicise EU views on the death penalty. We continue to urge Belarus to abolish the death penalty or, as an initial measure, to introduce a moratorium.
	The Council of Europe (CoE) plays close attention to developments in Belarus. In June 2009 the CoE Parliamentary Assembly agreed to the restoration of the Special Guest status of the Belarusian Parliament, which had been suspended in 1997, only after a moratorium on the death penalty. On 30 October 2009 a joint statement was issued by the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE and the Secretary-General of the CoE calling on President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to grant clemency, to declare a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Belarus and to commute the sentences of all prisoners sentenced to death to terms of imprisonment.

Bletchley Park: Medals

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when those who worked on code-breaking at Bletchley Park will receive their service medals.

David Miliband: All eligible veterans who have submitted an application for the Bletchley Park Commemorative Badge have been sent their badge and certificate. This amounts to over 2,000 applications up to and including 24 November 2009.
	I attended a special celebration ceremony at Bletchley Park on 9 October 2009 to pay tribute to the vital work these veterans carried out during the Second World War. The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) will continue to send out badges and certificates to eligible veterans on receipt of applications.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Environment Protection

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which international parties are considered to be stakeholders for the consultation on the proposed creation of a Marine Protected Area for the Chagos Archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory; what criteria were used to decide who the stakeholders were; and what weight will be given to stakeholder responses to the consultation.

Chris Bryant: The public consultation into whether to create a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the British Indian Ocean Territory is not a limited one. The purpose of the consultation is to seek views from all stakeholders and interested parties to help the Government assess whether an MPA is the right option for the future environmental protection of the territory. We are, therefore, strongly encouraging as many people as possible to participate in the consultation.
	The consultation document (pages 12 and 13) does however recognise that the international fishing community, the US, the Republic of Mauritius and the Chagossian community are all groups which may be either directly or indirectly affected by the establishment of an MPA and any resulting restrictions or a ban on fishing.
	All responses to the consultation will be taken into consideration.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Environment Protection

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) entitlements and  (b) historic entitlements apply under international law to the management of fishing stocks within the 200 mile limits of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Chris Bryant: The management of fishing stocks within the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is the responsibility of the UK. The BIOT Administration contracts Marine Resources and Assessment Group Ltd. to manage the fisheries of the territory. The UK is a member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), both through the European Commission's membership and separately and individually through the BIOT and, as such, provides data on the BIOT fisheries to the IOTC.

Colombia: EU External Trade

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the status is of negotiations between the EU and Colombia on a free trade agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The European Commission is pushing forward with negotiations towards a Multi-Party Trade Agreement with Colombia on behalf of the EU. The UK is leading efforts within the EU to ensure that any agreement with Colombia is linked to a robust human rights clause. This clause will enable us to suspend the agreement if it is breached, and will act as a catalyst for frank dialogue with Colombia on the issue. We believe that free trade agreements can help to create the right circumstances for improved stability, where human rights stand a better chance of flourishing. Denying Colombia access to the economic opportunities presented by the Multi-Party Trade Agreement would undermine this prospect.

Colombia: EU External Trade

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on his Department's work with the European Commission on the negotiation of a free trade agreement with Colombia.

Ivan Lewis: The European Commission is pushing forward with negotiations towards a Multi-Party Trade Agreement with Colombia on behalf of the EU. The UK is leading efforts within the EU to ensure that any agreement with Colombia is linked to a robust human rights clause. This clause will enable us to suspend the agreement if it is breached, and will act as a catalyst for frank dialogue with Colombia on this issue. We believe that free trade agreements can help to create the right circumstances for improved stability, where human rights stand a better chance of flourishing. Denying Colombia access to the economic opportunities presented by the Multi-Party Trade Agreement would undermine this prospect.

Colombia: Trade Unions

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of trade unionists murdered in Colombia in the last 12 months.

Chris Bryant: I have seen various reports of the number of trade unionists murdered in Colombia in 2009. The bottom line is that a single murder of a trade unionist or human rights defender is one too many. This issue is of great concern to us. During a meeting with President Uribe while visiting Colombia in October, I urged the Colombian government to do everything possible to ensure that those in Colombia who fight to defend human rights are able to do their work in safety and without fear.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of maintaining his Department's website in the 2008-09 financial year; and what the forecast cost is of maintaining websites within his responsibility in the 2009-10 financial year.

Chris Bryant: The cost of maintaining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) entire web platform in the 2008-09 financial year was £1.45 million. This covers hosting, development and support costs.
	The FCO's web platform is home to 250 websites, including cross-Government websites such as
	www.londonsummit.gov.uk
	www.actoncopenhagen.gov.uk
	and our network of embassy and high commission websites. It is not possible to calculate the individual cost of the main corporate website.
	The forecast cost of maintaining the 250 websites on the FCO web platform in 2009-10 is £1.45 million.
	These costs do not include staff time spent updating the websites.

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated for  (a) year-end and  (b) in-year bonuses for staff in 2009-10.

Chris Bryant: For 2009-10 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) allocated the following amounts for variable pay in 2009-10:
	 (a) £7,693,418
	 (b) £532,667.
	These bonus figures are based on a total pay bill of £213,613,185. The FCO does not pay year-end bonuses as such. Government policy is to differentiate reward to civil servants more effectively and to link it directly to performance. As a result a higher proportion of annual reward now takes the form of non-consolidated, non-pensionable bonus payments (variable pay). The FCO arrangements for bonus payments mirror those adopted by other Whitehall Departments.

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible in each of the last three years.

Chris Bryant: Neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), its executive agencies (FCO Services and Wilton Park) or its non-departmental public bodies make bonus payments to consultants or individual contractors.
	Incentive regimes are rarely used for contracts with consultants and individual contractors. If incentives are included in a contract they are negotiated on a case by case basis taking care to ensure value for money. No central record is maintained of such contractual provisions.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2008; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: During the financial year 2008-09, a total of 4,712 staff received a bonus payment. This represents 80 per cent. of the total workforce.
	The total amount of bonuses paid was £7,597,836 and the largest single payment was £30,000. The average amount per employee was £1,286.

Departmental Working Hours

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of staff of his Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies work flexibly or part-time; and what his Department's policy is on making jobs available on a job-share or flexible basis.

Chris Bryant: As at 1 November 2009 there were 163 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff working part time out of a total of 5,504, representing 3 per cent. These figures include FCO Services, which operates as a trading fund, and Wilton Park which is an agency. We do not hold central records of part-time workers in our non-departmental bodies.
	We also have no central records of other types of flexible working, for example compressed hours and working from home, as these are agreed locally between staff and their line-managers. All jobs can be made available on a job-share or flexible basis, including overseas jobs, unless there is an overriding operational reason preventing it.

Diplomatic Service

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many honorary consuls there are; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: 243.

Government Hospitality

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much Government Hospitality spent on  (a) champagne,  (b) wine,  (c) china,  (d) cutlery and  (e) venue hire in 2008-09.

Chris Bryant: In the financial year 2008-09 Government Hospitality recorded the following expenditure:
	Wines and spirits: £121,939 (including £27,136 spent on Champagne)
	China: £150
	Cutlery: £5,896
	Government Hospitality does not meet venue hire costs for functions it organises at non-Government venues.

Middle East

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to support the Palestinian Authority in its police and security functions.

Ivan Lewis: The Government remain committed to the reform of the Palestinian security sector as part of a wider state-building agenda. With the support of the UK (including the British Support Team in Ramallah) and others, the Palestinian Authority is working to increase the effectiveness and accountability of its police and security forces. In doing so, they are not only making west bank towns safer for ordinary Palestinians but also combating terrorism.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 29 October 2009,  Official Report, column 506W, on Middle East: armed conflict, what are the challenges of interdiction referred to in the answer.

David Miliband: The principal challenges of interdiction are the legal constraints and the availability of resources.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the compatibility with the principles of the Oslo Accords of the proposal for a Palestinian state made by the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority.

Ivan Lewis: Building the capacity of Palestinian institutions in preparation for statehood is a key part of the Palestinian Authority's proposal and is implicit in the Oslo Accords. The UK supports this aim and continues to pursue vigorously a two-state solution. We believe that direct negotiations between the parties involved, with the strong support of the US, the EU, and the rest of the international community, are the best way to achieve this. In seeking a solution, both parties should adhere to applicable international obligations.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the proposal for a Palestinian state made by the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority to peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Ivan Lewis: We welcome the Palestinian Authority's plan as a contribution to building Palestinian institutions. The Government remain firmly committed to the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with limited land-swaps of equal quality, existing alongside Israel in peace and security. We believe that the best way to achieve this is through negotiations between the parties, with the strong support of the US, the EU, and the rest of the international community.

Serbia: International War Crimes Tribunal

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of Serbia's co-operation with the International War Crimes Tribunal; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Serbia's level of co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) continues to improve. We look forward to the next formal presentation to the UN Security Council by ICTY Prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, on 3 December 2009.

Vatican

Ann Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for a state visit from the Holy See in 2010.

Ivan Lewis: Discussions by this Department on proposals for a Papal visit to the United Kingdom have taken place at official level since the Prime Minister's invitation to the Pope in February this year. To date, there has been no official announcement by either State of a Papal visit.

Yemen: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment has been made of the security situation in northern Yemen; and what the Government's policy is on the matter.

David Miliband: The UK is increasingly concerned about the situation in northern Yemen. The conflict threatens Yemeni security and the stability of the region.
	We support the right of the Saudi Government to use proportionate means to defend the integrity of their territory. We do not believe that violence is the right way to resolve disputes, inequalities and injustices. The UK does not believe that a military solution to the Huthi conflict can achieve long term success. We encourage the rebels and the government of Yemen to agree a humanitarian ceasefire, an end to all violence and to pursue a political settlement to address legitimate grievances.

Yemen: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the governments of  (a) Yemen and  (b) Saudi Arabia on the security situation in northern Yemen.

David Miliband: I last met the Yemeni Foreign Minister on 25 September 2009 when we spoke about the conflict in northern Yemen. I expressed the UK's concern about the deteriorating situation and urged him to consider a humanitarian ceasefire in light of the 175,000 internally displaced people.
	I last spoke to the Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs on 9 October 2009. We discussed the UK and Saudi Arabia's shared concern about the potential for deterioration in the region.
	My officials and those of Department for International Development are in daily contact with their Yemeni and Saudi counterparts at all levels. We are increasingly concerned about the situation in northern Yemen and the conflict along the Yemeni-Saudi border. We support the Saudi Government's right to use proportionate means to defend the integrity of their territory.
	The situation in northern Yemen has the potential to create further instability in the Gulf region but we have seen no evidence of external interference to that end. The UK does not believe that a military solution to the Huthi conflict can achieve long term success. We encourage the rebels and the government of Yemen to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire, an end to all violence and to pursue a negotiated political settlement to address legitimate grievances.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

National Clearing House Scheme

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes were purchased under the National Clearing House scheme in each of the last three years; and how many such homes were subsequently  (a) sold,  (b) used for affordable rent,  (c) purchased under shared ownership and  (d) unused.

Ian Austin: The Housing Corporation, the Homes and Communities Agency's predecessor, set up the National Clearing House to streamline initial assessment of national packages of at least 250 units from private sector house builders and operated during 2008-09.
	Allocations through the National Clearing House and the purchase of unsold stock from developers through the National Affordable Housing Programme allocated a total of £350 million to provide 9,600 affordable homes in 2008-09. Of these homes some 6,300 were to be used for social rent and 3,300 for low cost home ownership.

Building Regulations

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for responding to the consultation on part J of the Building Regulations.

Ian Austin: The consultation will come to an end on 26 November. Following the end of the consultation we will need to analyse and publish a summary of responses, agree final proposals and revise the part J approved document (statutory guidance). It is planned that the revised approved document will be published by March 2010 and will come into force in October 2010.

Community Development: Finance

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to encourage applications for community grants.

Rosie Winterton: Communities and Local Government works with the Office of the Third Sector and through intermediary bodies such as the Community Development Foundation, Social Investment Business, and local authorities, to promote opportunities to communities to apply for grants to help make a positive change to the lives of others and the community in which they live.

Cornwall Council

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on proposals for Cornwall council to be renamed as an  (a) assembly,  (b) parliament,  (c) senate and  (d) another designation.

Rosie Winterton: We have received no such representations about the renaming of Cornwall council. An order made under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 allowed the council to adopt either the name of Cornwall county council or Cornwall council; the council decided to adopt the latter name.

Departmental Pay

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of staff in each Government Office are in SCS pay band  (a) 1,  (b) 1A and  (c) 2; and what job titles fall in each such pay band.

Rosie Winterton: Each Government office has one regional director at SCS PB2 and between four and eight deputy regional directors at SCS PB1. The Government offices for the north-west and west midlands also have a deputy to the regional director at SCS PB1A.
	As a percentage of the total staff employed in each office, this represents:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Government office  PB1  PB1A  PB2 
			 East of England 2.84 0 0.57 
			 East Midlands 3.31 0 0.66 
			 London 4.02 0 0.50 
			 North East 2.60 0 0.52 
			 North West 2.54 0.51 0.51 
			 South East 2.50 0 0.50 
			 South West 2.96 0 0.49 
			 West Midlands 1.97 0.49 0.49 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3.87 0 0.55

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated for  (a) year end and  (b) in-year bonuses for staff in 2009-10.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government has allocated £1,276,150 for end of year non-consolidated pay awards in 2009-10:
	The Department also operates a scheme for all staff below the senior civil service under which individuals or teams may receive a small non-consolidated award in recognition of an outstanding contribution over a limited period. A formal allocation of funding is not made for this scheme but a limit of 0.2 per cent. of the pay bill is placed on expenditure under these arrangements. The maximum payment under these arrangements is £600.

Departmental Work Sharing

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what percentage of staff of his Department, its Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies work flexibly or part-time; and what his Department's policy is on making jobs available on a job-share or flexible basis.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government (CLG) has 236 members of staff who work part-time, this represents 10 per cent. of the total number of staff. Data on other forms of flexible working are collected for CLG, but the proportion of people who have provided data are too low to allow meaningful analysis.
	Figures for the agencies and non-departmental public bodies are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All posts in Communities and Local Government are open to flexible working arrangements, including job-share; unless there is a substantive business case to the contrary showing it would be impracticable and inefficient. All posts will be advertised on this basis, whether advertised internally or externally.

Empty Property

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) registered social landlord,  (b) private and  (c) commercial properties have been empty for longer than (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) five and (iv) 10 years.

Ian Austin: Information on the total numbers of vacant dwellings by tenure but not time period was provided in the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 15 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1066W. Information on the numbers of dwellings vacant for the time periods requested is not available. There are no centrally available reliable or recent estimates of vacant commercial dwellings.

Homelessness

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps are being taken to reduce levels of homelessness in each region.

Ian Austin: We have allocated over £200 million to local authorities and voluntary organisations over three years (2008-11) to reduce and prevent homelessness in their areas by offering tailored support and advice. In addition, the department also recently announced a £20 million Preventing Repossessions Fund to enable local authorities to extend small loans to families at risk of homelessness through repossession or eviction. We have also provided £2.5 million funding to the National Homelessness Advice Service (NHAS) which is a partnership between Shelter and the Citizens Advice Bureaux (CABx) providing high quality advice on homelessness prevention through the network of participating CABx and other voluntary agencies across England.
	Over recent months the Government have also announced a series of measures and new funding that will help homeowners remain in their home wherever possible. This help includes the £285 million Mortgage Rescue Scheme, the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme and substantial changes to Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme.
	New cases of homelessness acceptances have reduced by 69 per cent. since the last peak in 2003. The latest statistics show that there were 10,520 homelessness acceptances during the period April to June 2009-32 per cent. lower than the same period last year. The proportion of homelessness acceptances due to mortgage repossessions has remained at 3 per cent.

Housing: Low Incomes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been purchased with the aid of the HomeBuy Direct scheme in the last 12 months.

John Healey: Provisional data from the Homes and Communities Agency shows there were 7,686 completions through Low Cost Home Ownership products including 997 Homebuy Direct sales, between April and September 2009.
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/public/documents/Official-Statistics-Release-Nov09.pdf

Housing: Low Incomes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing development sites have been brought back into production as a result of the Kickstart Housing Delivery Programme.

John Healey: 136 housing schemes have to date been announced as approved for investment under the Kickstart programme. Contracts are being finalised and workers are returning to sites over the coming weeks. Details of approved schemes are posted on the Homes and Communities Agency's website, at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/public/documents/kickstart-schemes-approved-271009-region.pdf

Housing: Low Incomes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent assessment is of the adequacy of the supply of affordable housing.

Ian Austin: We know there is a strong case for building more housing generally and more affordable housing in particular. In order to better understand the relationship between supply and identified need CLG has commissioned a housing need analytical model from Heriot-Watt university which will improve our understanding of the impact of housing supply on housing need going forward. It is hoped this will be available to the Department by the end of the year.
	There were 4 million LA and RSL owned homes in England in 2007 and we are spending £7.5 billion over the two years 2009-10 and 2010-11 to deliver around 112,000 affordable homes.

Housing: Overcrowding

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to  (a) extend the funding of the overcrowding pathfinders after 2011 and  (b) create more pathfinders, including ones in rural areas.

Ian Austin: Funding in support of tackling overcrowding will be considered as part of the next spending review.
	We will continue to work with our 54 local authority pathfinders in developing good practice in tackling overcrowding, which is being shared with other local authorities.

Housing: Overcrowding

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to extend the remit of the overcrowding pathfinders to include overcrowding in the private rented sector.

Ian Austin: The 54 overcrowding pathfinder authorities are tackling overcrowding in all tenures.

Housing: Overcrowding

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Government plans to update the 1935 statutory overcrowding definition in line with the bedroom standard.

Ian Austin: Prior to making any change to the statutory standards we want to establish the impact, timing and cost of undertaking a phased and manageable move to a new statutory standard. Evidence is being generated through the 54 overcrowding pathfinder authorities.

Housing: Owner Occupation

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeowners there were in  (a) Norwich, North constituency and  (b) each region in each of the last 10 years.

Ian Austin: Estimates of the number of homeowners in each region for each of the last 10 years can be found in table S135a, available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1393611.xls
	These estimates are based on data from the ONS Labour Force Survey.
	Estimates for the Norwich, North constituency are not available.

Local Authorities: Place Names

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what regulations govern the nomenclature of local authorities.

Rosie Winterton: The Local Government Act 1972 makes provision on the nomenclature of local authorities; an order under the Local Government Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 amends the application of these provisions in the case of certain new unitary councils.

Local Authorities: Powers

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what additional decision-making powers are available to  (a) Cornwall council and  (b) the council of the Isles of Scilly which each of them (i) has not so far requested and (ii) has requested and is negotiating with (A) his Department and (B) another Government department or agency.

Rosie Winterton: Cornwall council and the council of the Isles of Scilly already enjoy a full range of local government powers. In response to our recent consultation, Strengthening Local Democracy, the Leader of Cornwall council commented that powers involving the delegation of funding, duties for regional and national bodies to co-operate and the ability to flex national policy to make it appropriate to local circumstances could be helpful in relation to the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Economic Forum. The Government will be publishing their formal response to the consultation shortly.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was  (a) billed to non-domestic rate payers and  (b) collected in business rates by each local authority in the (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10 tax year.

Barbara Follett: I have, today, placed in the Library of the House a table that gives, by each billing authority in England, the net amount of non-domestic rates that each should have collected in 2008-09 after reliefs and the amount of non-domestic rates each collected in 2008-09.
	Data for 2009-10 are not yet available.
	These data are also available in Table 3 of the statistical release Collection rates for council tax and non-domestic rates in England 2008-09 that was published on 25 June 2009 and is available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/counciltax/collectionrates/

Non-domestic Rates: Banks

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid in empty property rates on properties owned by banks with shares managed by UK Financial Investments Ltd. in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Barbara Follett: The information is not collected by the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, we have granted all empty properties with rateable values of up to £15,000 eligibility for full relief from business rates in 2009-10. As 70 per cent. of all properties fall below this threshold this temporary relief is providing real help to ratepayers trying to manage short-term pressures in a difficult property market.

Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many  (a) commercial and  (b) industrial hereditaments in receipt of empty property relief there were of hereditament rateable value of (i) below £2,201, (ii) between £2,201 and £5,000, (iii) between £5,001 and £10,000, (iv) between £10,001 and £15,000 and (v) over £15,000 in (A) 2006-07, (B) 2007-08 and (C) 2008-09; and what the monetary value was of the empty property relief granted to properties in each such category in each such year;
	(2)  how many  (a) commercial and  (b) industrial hereditaments in receipt of empty property relief there were of hereditament rateable value of (i) below £2,201, (ii) between £2,201 and £5,000, (iii) between £5,001 and £10,000, (iv) between £10,001 and £15,000 and (v) over £15,000 before the (A) application of the £15,000 rateable value empty property rates exemption and (B) with the application of the £15,000 exemption; and what the monetary value was of empty property between relief granted to properties in each such category in each of those periods;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) commercial and  (b) industrial hereditaments in receipt of empty property relief of a hereditament rateable value of (i) below £2,201, (ii) between £2,201 and £5,000, (iii) between £5,001 and £10,000, (iv) between £10,001 and £15,000 and (v) over £15,000 in 2010-11; and what the monetary value of empty property relief granted to properties is in each category in that year.

Barbara Follett: The information is not collected by the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, we have granted all empty properties with rateable values of up to £15,000 eligibility for full relief from business rates in 2009-10. As 70 per cent. of all properties fall below this threshold this temporary relief is providing real help to ratepayers trying to manage short term pressures in a difficult property market.

Regional Government: South West

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department provided to the South West Regional Assembly in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09; how much funding he expects to provide to the South West Councils/South West Strategic Leaders Board in 2009-10; and what estimate he has made of the reduction in his Department's expenditure in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) in subsequent years following the abolition of the South West Regional Assembly.

Ian Austin: The Department has provided the following funding:
	
		
			   Body funded  Amount (£) 
			 2007-08 South West Regional Assembly 2,469,811 
			 2008-09 South West Regional Assembly 2,300,164 
			 2009-10 South West Strategic Leaders' Board 2,070,148 
		
	
	In 2009-10 the saving to my Department will be in the order of £230,016.
	In 2010-11 the South West Strategic Leaders' Board will undertake functions connected with the production of regional strategies under part 5 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. For this work the amount to be allocated will be subject to receipt of a business plan. In subsequent years funding for this work will be subject to the outcome of the next comprehensive spending review.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children: Advertising

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment his Department has made of the effects on the development of children of the advertisement of  (a) food and  (b) non-food products.

Diana Johnson: In the Children's Plan we made a commitment to commission an independent assessment of the impact of the commercial world on young people.
	Subsequently, the Secretary of State announced that Professor David Buckingham, Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, would lead the assessment and that it would be conducted by a panel of independent experts.
	Having conducted an extensive review of the available evidence, and having spoken to stakeholders representing the broad spectrum of opinion on this subject, Professor Buckingham and his team have now completed the assessment. I expect it to be published in the next few weeks.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 9 November 2009,  Official Report, column 107W, on children: protection, on what ground each of the 34 appeals was upheld.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 23 November 2009
	Information on appeals, including the detailed judgments and the reasons for decisions issued by the Tribunal, can be found on the First-Tier Tribunal's (FTT) website at
	www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk.
	The judgments issued by the FTT set out the facts of each case, the evidence presented by the Appellant and Respondent during the hearing and the FTT's reasons for its judgment.
	In general terms, the burden of proof lies with the Secretary of State as Respondent. The FTT upholds an appeal if it considers, on the balance of probabilities, that
	(i) in List 99 appeals, the Secretary of State's direction preventing an individual from working with children is not appropriate; and
	(ii) in PoCA appeals, it is not satisfied that the individual was guilty of misconduct which harmed a child or placed a child at risk of harm and that the individual is unsuitable to work with children .
	Since the reply given on 9 November 2009,  Official Report, column 107W, the Tribunal has re-heard (upon instruction from the High Court) one appeal which had been previously allowed and was included in the 34 appeals reported in that answer. As a result of the Tribunal's decision in this case to dismiss the appeal on re-hearing, the total number of appeals allowed by the Tribunal is now reduced to 33.
	Judgments, containing the reasons for decisions, for each of the 33 appeals upheld by the Tribunal can be accessed at the following addresses:
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=1014
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=882
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=1011
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=1012
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=1003
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=1010
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=1002
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=1008
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=275
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=341
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=342
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=906
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=297
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=303
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=345
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=274
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=396
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=288
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=354
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=361
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=965
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=379
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=433
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=880
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=949
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=977
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=1038
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=974
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=888
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=1039
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=196
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=199
	http://www.carestandardstribunal.gov.uk/Public/View .aspx?ID=137

Climate Change

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants from his Department will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in an official capacity.

Diana Johnson: No DCSF Ministers or civil servants will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in an official capacity.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to his Department by its staff since 6 June 2006.

Diana Johnson: No allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made by staff since 6 June 2006.

Departmental Manpower

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff are engaged  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time on handling responses to his Department's consultation on home education-registration and monitoring proposals.

Diana Johnson: 13 staff were engaged in handling the responses: one full-time consultation advisor throughout the whole of the consultation period; a further four full-time and two part-time staff engaged to log and analyse responses towards the end of the consultation period, when the majority of responses were received; and an additional six staff helped with the analysis on a part-time basis following closure of this consultation.

Personal Social and Health Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what account he took of the responses to the recent consultation on personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) undertaken by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency when determining his policy on making PSHE education a statutory part of the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 5 November,  Official Report, columns 49-52WS.
	In reaching the decision to make PSHE a statutory part of the national curriculum I gave serious consideration to the responses to the consultation exercise and particularly the responses from parents. The evidence, both from that consultation and from the further, independent, research that my Department commissioned, told me that, to an overwhelming extent, parents think that good quality PSHE, taught in a sensitive and appropriate way and with the proper safeguards in place, is vital in promoting the health and well-being of young people as they prepare to tackle the challenges of adult life.

Schools: Asbestos

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons he decided to include the requirement for an asbestos survey in the standard contract documentation for the Building Schools for the Future programme; and what data on the presence of asbestos in schools he took into account in making that decision.

Vernon Coaker: The reasons we decided to include the requirement for an asbestos survey in the standard documentation are to:
	reinforce the need for compliance with asbestos legislation;
	find out if Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) are present; and
	avoid contractual delays and financial uncertainties.
	This is based on experience from previous building programmes where the discovery of ACMs during refurbishment has led to substantial delays and unforeseen costs.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in the Milton Keynes area are participating in the Targeting Mental Health in Schools programme; and whether he has plans to extend the programme to other schools in the area.

Diana Johnson: I am pleased to confirm that Milton Keynes will join the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) Programme in April 2010. From April 2010 all local authorities nationally will be implementing TaMHS.
	Milton Keynes will receive approximately £220,000 for 2010-11 to implement TaMHS locally.
	It is up to Milton Keynes to choose the schools to take part in their local TaMHS project. Our recommended model is that each local authority identifies a cluster of three to six secondary schools and their feeder primaries to participate in the programme, reflecting local need.
	In line with the TaMHS grant conditions, each local authority is required to submit an implementation plan to DCSF for approval, which will be monitored against progress.
	Milton Keynes, like all local authorities, will have to indicate in their implementation plan how they will sustain TaMHS provision and will mainstream TaMHS support models to all schools locally beyond 2011.

Science: Public Consultation

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what date he plans to publish the summary of responses to his Department's science and learning consultation.

Diana Johnson: This consultation, hosted on the DCSF website, was conducted by the independent Science and Learning Expert Group, chaired by Sir Mark Walport, rather than the Department. I gather that Sir Mark intends to publish an analysis of the consultation results when the Group submits its report early in the new year.

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils with statements of special educational needs resident in each local authority area were educated in  (a) mainstream and  (b) special schools outside their local authority of residence in the latest year for which figures are available.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 23 November 2009
	The requested information has been placed in the House Libraries.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants: Compensation

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what representations she has received on the proposals published by her Department to reform the Civil Service Compensation Scheme;
	(2)  what discussions her Department is having with trade unions on the future of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Chesterfield (Paul Holmes) and the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) on 9 November,  Official Report, columns 80-81W.

Civil Service No-Fault Compensation Scheme

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much has been paid out under the civil service no-fault compensation scheme to civil servants in each Department in each year since the scheme was established;
	(2)  how much has been paid out in respect of stress-related conditions under the civil service no-fault compensation scheme to civil servants in each Department in each year since the scheme was established.

Tessa Jowell: The current Civil Service Injury Benefit Scheme was established on 1 October 2002. Benefits paid under this scheme are accounted for within the Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts, copies of which can be found in the Library. Information on the amount paid can be found within the notes to the accounts, for example within the 2008-09 accounts it is detailed at note 16.
	Specific reasons for why injury benefit is awarded are not recorded within the management information that is held and therefore the number of stress-related conditions cannot be identified.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to her Department by its staff since 6 June 2006.

Tessa Jowell: There have been no known allegations of victimisation as a result of whistleblowing.

Departmental Rail Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what date she last travelled by train in the course of her official duties.

Tessa Jowell: On 16 October 2009 I travelled by train to an official engagement.

Government Departments: Corporate Hospitality

David Taylor: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 3 November 2009,  Official Report, columns 885-86W, on Government Departments: official hospitality, if she will amend the register for hospitality received by board members of Government Departments from 1 January to 31 December 2007 to include the hospitality provided by the Chairman of the Audit Commission to the  (a) Director General of the Department for Communities and Local Government on 18 August 2007,  (b) Director General of the Financial and Commercial Group at the Home Department on 11 May 2007 and  (c) Permanent Secretary to the Department for Communities and Local Government on 8 October 2007; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  when she expects to publish the register of hospitality received by board members of Government Departments during 2008.

Tessa Jowell: The guidance to Departments on the recording of hospitality set out in the Government's response to the Public Administration Select Committee's Report Lobbying: Access and Influence in Whitehall
	http//www.publications_parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmpubadm/1058/1058.pdf
	makes clear that in general it is not necessary to record hospitality received from those within HM Government and non-departmental public bodies. There are no plans to amend the register.
	Government Departments are publishing details of hospitality received by Director Generals and above on a quarterly basis (starting with the first quarter of 2009-10) on their own departmental websites. Information on hospitality received by board members during 2008 will be published as soon as it is ready.

Government Departments: Land Registry

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps she has taken to encourage Departments experiencing temporary increases in workload to consider outsourcing relevant tasks to Land Registry offices.

Tessa Jowell: Steps to deal with temporary increases in work load are a matter for individual Departments.
	Land Registry has worked with other Government Departments on a number of projects this year, for instance the Department for Work and Pensions where 170 staff have obtained level transfers. Additionally, the Land Registry has entered into a five-year shared service agreement with Ordnance Survey.

JUSTICE

Christmas

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Christmas parties his Department plans to host in 2009; what has been budgeted for each such reception; what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) lamb,  (b) beef,  (c) chicken,  (d) pork,  (e) turkey,  (f) other meats,  (g) vegetables,  (h) fruit and  (i) alcohol to be served at each such function which is produced in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Department does not intend to host any Christmas parties in 2009. The Department and its agencies do not fund Christmas parties for staff, although staff may personally contribute towards the cost of such an event.

C-NOMIS Database Project

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which individual was responsible for the C-NOMIS database project up until October 2007.

Maria Eagle: There were two senior responsible owners of the C-NOMIS project up until October 2007, who had overall responsibility: initially, Christine Knott and then Roger Hill.

C-NOMIS Database Project

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what financial management and oversight there was in respect of the C-NOMIS database project up to October 2007.

Maria Eagle: The C-NOMIS project board met at least once every two months. It was recognised that strengthened financial control and management was required, and a dedicated finance manager was recruited at the end of 2006. He undertook a review of all project costs which culminated in the recognition by summer 2007 that costs were unaffordable.
	The revised NOMIS programme which replaced the C-NOMIS project has adopted a fit-for-purpose governance and monitoring structure and financial controls.

Community Justice Centres: Finance

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has for the future funding of community justice courts.

Bridget Prentice: There are no plans for any future Community Justice Courts. The Green Paper Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice set out the Government's commitment to co-location of community justice teams in existing court buildings wherever possible and plans to develop a new model of community justice teams where co-location is not practicable. The consultation stage Impact Assessment, published alongside the Green Paper, set out early estimated costs of both approaches. The costs for the community justice teams in 30 local authority areas, updated in light of the consultation, is £1.05 million.
	The teams will ensure that all the agencies in the local area work closely together to engage the community and provide problem-solving for offenders. The court will remain a vital part of this approach.

Community Orders: Young Offenders

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to his Department was of community sentences for those aged  (a) under 18 years old and  (b) 18 to 21 years old; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: We do not hold this information centrally. Community sentences for those aged under 18 are provided by youth offending teams (YOTs). YOTs are funded from a range of central and local sources and data are not collected centrally on what proportion of this funding is spent on community sentences. Community sentences for those aged 18 to 21 are provided by the Probation Service. Data are not collected centrally on what proportion of their funding is spent on community sentences.

Debt Management

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will bring forward plans to limit advertising by fee charging debt management providers who target vulnerable individuals in financial difficulties; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment has been made of the potential to use the process for debt relief orders as a model for regulating debt management schemes; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what guidance his Department issues on the use of up-front fees for debt management schemes; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  whether his Department has undertaken research into the potential financial effects on the least well-off from the introduction of statutory regulation of debt management schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The current economic downturn is causing real hardship for many hardworking consumers and the Government are determined to do all they can to help those in financial difficulties, while balancing this against creditors' rights to recover their debts wherever possible, both now and in the future.
	Currently, it is not possible for the Lord Chancellor to control either advertising or the fees charged by debt management scheme providers. However, the powers contained in chapter 4 of part 5 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 (TCEA) would permit this in respect of approved schemes.
	Following concerns about the operation of this sector, the consultation paper 'Debt Management Schemes-delivering effective and balanced solutions for debtors and creditors' was published on 18 September and looks at the current operation of the debt management market. It seeks views on whether any changes are needed in this area and, if so, what those changes should be.
	It sets out three broad options: continue with the measures currently under way to raise awareness about current schemes and enforce existing rules with operators (Option 1); improve current schemes without regulation, possibly through the introduction of a protocol (Option 2); or implement the Lord Chancellor's powers to approve debt management schemes contained in chapter 4 of part 5 of the TCEA 2007 (Option 3).
	The consultation asks specific questions about how debt management schemes should be supervised and, for example, whether any existing scheme could be used or adapted to achieve the aims. This could include using the process for debt relief orders.
	It is expected that the results of the consultation will be available in the new year, at which time the Government will announce what action they plan to take in this area. However, advertising generally will be considered during the compliance review currently being carried out by the Office of Fair Trading. Its report will be issued in spring 2010.
	Separate to this consultation, the Government intend to issue guidance on what consumers should expect from debt management plan operators shortly. This guidance will explain that operators should advise on all debt assistance options available to those approaching them and give clear information about the fees that they charge. This guidance will supplement the more detailed guidance 'In Debt? Dealing with your creditors', published by the Insolvency Service on 2 July 2009.
	An initial impact assessment was published alongside the consultation paper which considered the potential effectiveness of all of the options contained in the consultation paper. The impact assessment considers, as far as possible, the potential effects of all of the options on various sectors of society but also requests additional information to assist in the development of this assessment.
	The consultation paper and initial impact assessment can be accessed via the Ministry of Justice website at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/debt-management-schemes.htm

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by his Department in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: The information requested prior to April 2009 was not kept centrally. However, according to available records, there are no contracts with consultants or contractors in my Department that have bonus payments or incentives included within them. Since April 2009, when Ministry of Justice procurement and relevant records were centralised, no contracts with consultants or contractors have bonus payments or incentives included within them.

Departmental Taxis

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contracts his Department has with private hire taxi companies; and what expenditure his Department has incurred against each such contract in each of the last three years.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice purchases taxi services on a regional/local level to support the small and medium enterprises that make up the market. To achieve best value for money sites are clustered and spend is aggregated where possible, while still supporting small and medium sized enterprises.
	Expenditure related to these contracts is not held centrally. To obtain this information would require approaching a large number of local business units across England and Wales and this could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Domestic Violence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) longest,  (b) average and  (c) shortest waiting period for entry into a domestic violence perpetrator programme was in each probation area in each year since such programmes were introduced.

Maria Eagle: Further to my answer of 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1471W, and my letter to the hon. Member, a copy of which is placed in the Libraries of the House, the table shows the average number of weeks that elapse from the date of sentence or licence for offences of violence or abuse to the commencement of domestic violence programme requirements in probation areas for 2005-06 to 2008-09.
	High risk offenders will be given priority by probation areas over those of medium risk. Preparation work needs to be completed with offenders before they can commence the group work element of a programme.
	Offenders waiting for a place on a domestic violence programme are under the supervision of their offender manager who will monitor and actively manage the risk posed by the offender during the course of the supervision period.
	The National Offender Management Service are working to reduce waiting times by ensuring staff are familiar with the referral criteria, and by improved liaison between the offender manager, the programme delivery team, and the court.
	A further three domestic abuse programmes are also currently being piloted with a view to extending the range of interventions available to perpetrators.
	The figures have been drawn from administrative data systems and although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. The Lancashire probation area's figures have been updated since my letter of 12 November.
	The table shows the average number of weeks that elapse from the date of sentence or licence for offences of violence or abuse to the commencement of domestic violence programme requirements in probation areas for 2005-06 to 2008-09.
	
		
			  Area  Data  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset Average of weeks 40.9 39.6 47.2 40.5 
			  Min of weeks 1.6 9.1 4.4 7.4 
			  Max of weeks 102.0 101.8 166.1 103.2 
			   
			 Bedfordshire Average of weeks - 21.5 30.0 22.9 
			  Min of weeks - 4.7 11.1 8.2 
			  Max of weeks - 147.0 64.1 58.8 
			   
			 Cambridgeshire Average of weeks 23.9 36.4 31.3 25.1 
			  Min of weeks 9.3 7.5 3.0 9.8 
			  Max of weeks 55.7 95.3 97.8 67.8 
			   
			 Cheshire Average of weeks 33.8 38.1 31.4 5.0 
			  Min of weeks 6.7 1.7 4.0 0.1 
			  Max of weeks 115.0 121.5 120.1 54.0 
			   
			 County Durham Average of weeks 16.6 25.6 29.4 34.1 
			  Min of weeks 2.0 1.1 3.5 2.8 
			  Max of weeks 34.4 58.0 87.3 81.9 
			   
			 Cumbria Average of weeks 19.1 25.3 30.5 36.3 
			  Min of weeks 7.6 4.6 1.2 9.1 
			  Max of weeks 38.6 52.6 82.3 86.6 
			   
			 Derbyshire Average of weeks 25.1 30.5 23.9 21.9 
			  Min of weeks 5.1 1.9 0.7 2.9 
			  Max of weeks 155.1 68.1 83.3 93.8 
			   
			 Devon and Cornwall Average of weeks 33.0 40.6 29.0 24.9 
			  Min of weeks 6.1 7.7 3.0 4.0 
			  Max of weeks 92.1 148.2 92.8 81.8 
			   
			 Dorset Average of weeks 12.0 29.0 20.0 19.9 
			  Min of weeks 2.5 4.1 3.2 4.1 
			  Max of weeks 36.9 79.2 47.9 56.1 
			   
			 Dyfed-Powys Average of weeks 10.9 19.0 18.7 32.2 
			  Min of weeks 5.1 1.0 0.5 6.0 
			  Max of weeks 24.4 61.5 48.0 81.8 
			   
			 Essex Average of weeks 24.6 40.5 51.0 50.2 
			  Min of weeks 1.1 10.1 2.8 0.8 
			  Max of weeks 99.1 77.5 90.8 89.4 
			   
			 Gloucestershire Average of weeks 29.9 33.0 34.3 24.9 
			  Min of weeks 8.5 7.2 6.0 3.8 
			  Max of weeks 59.3 91.5 82.8 76.8 
			   
			 Greater Average of weeks 37.7 47.6 33.9 23.3 
			 Manchester Min of weeks 5.1 4.3 5.9 4.3 
			  Max of weeks 97.6 91.7 95.4 58.3 
			   
			 Gwent Average of weeks 34.6 41.3 42.8 44.0 
			  Min of weeks 11.8 12.8 2.5 4.8 
			  Max of weeks 62.7 101.7 109.1 111.7 
			   
			 Hampshire Average of weeks 17.1 25.4 25.2 24.1 
			  Min of weeks 6.6 2.2 4.0 5.3 
			  Max of weeks 55.0 79.1 146.3 99.3 
			   
			 Hertfordshire Average of weeks 21.9 30.6 38.1 24.1 
			  Min of weeks 5.8 2.1 4.2 5.1 
			  Max of weeks 44.7 57.1 90.1 79.3 
			   
			 Humberside Average of weeks 10.8 25.0 27.4 27.6 
			  Min of weeks 0.1 0.1 5.1 11.8 
			  Max of weeks 27.2 56.7 81.0 47.5 
			   
			 Kent Average of weeks 15.0 29.3 27.3 25.3 
			  Min of weeks 2.1 0.1 2.0 1.8 
			  Max of weeks 41.3 67.1 69.1 80.4 
			   
			 Lancashire Average of weeks 16.6 26.9 26.3 24.9 
			  Min of weeks 3.8 0.0 0.1 0.0 
			  Max of weeks 52.5 75.0 83.1 132.5 
			   
			   
			 Leicestershire and Rutland Average of weeks 35.7 39.9 27.3 24.0 
			  Min of weeks 2.1 1.8 1.4 3.8 
			  Max of weeks 82.8 130.1 84.3 87.3 
			   
			 Lincolnshire Average of weeks 13.2 23.8 27.5 26.0 
			  Min of weeks 5.5 0.3 2.2 2.1 
			  Max of weeks 40.1 72.3 98.0 77.3 
			   
			 London Average of weeks 29.2 32.0 40.0 31.0 
			  Min of weeks 0.3 4.1 0.2 0.1 
			  Max of weeks 117.7 154.9 131.5 155.9 
			   
			 Merseyside Average of weeks 32.9 25.9 32.9 34.9 
			  Min of weeks 5.8 2.4 2.2 2.2 
			  Max of weeks 128.8 86.7 88.6 126.9 
			   
			 Norfolk Average of weeks 16.5 18.7 20.7 19.3 
			  Min of weeks 0.7 4.8 0.3 0.8 
			  Max of weeks 34.7 49.7 43.1 60.3 
			   
			 Northamptonshire Average of weeks 20.9 29.0 29.3 28.1 
			  Min of weeks 6.7 7.5 4.7 2.4 
			  Max of weeks 62.0 85.7 151.1 77.8 
			   
			 Northumbria Average of weeks 25.2 33.7 39.5 33.5 
			  Min of weeks 6.1 7.1 7.8 0.8 
			  Max of weeks 56.1 72.5 91.4 109.4 
			   
			 North Wales Average of weeks 26.2 37.6 42.2 40.4 
			  Min of weeks 2.5 9.1 1.0 7.5 
			  Max of weeks 88.7 76.8 117.2 149.5 
			   
			 North Yorkshire Average of weeks 11.8 16.3 29.1 22.5 
			  Min of weeks 2.3 0.8 0.2 1.1 
			  Max of weeks 41.8 54.0 102.6 74.6 
			   
			 Nottinghamshire Average of weeks - 13.1 13.7 19.1 
			  Min of weeks - 0.3 3.2 1.2 
			  Max of weeks - 49.3 48.2 63.1 
			   
			 South Wales Average of weeks - 23.3 34.5 38.1 
			  Min of weeks - 4.3 2.0 6.1 
			  Max of weeks - 63.3 117.6 78.1 
			   
			 South Yorkshire Average of weeks 43.3 43.1 41.9 21.4 
			  Min of weeks 2.1 1.8 3.3 1.1 
			  Max of weeks 102.8 77.8 105.5 87.8 
			   
			 Staffordshire Average of weeks - 14.0 14.2 17.1 
			  Min of weeks - 2.1 2.2 2.1 
			  Max of weeks - 53.0 39.5 45.0 
			   
			 Suffolk Average of weeks 15.2 20.8 21.6 23.5 
			  Min of weeks 4.0 5.1 4.5 3.7 
			  Max of weeks 30.8 80.4 67.7 63.8 
			   
			 Surrey Average of weeks 19.0 28.5 30.4 29.5 
			  Min of weeks 6.0 12.8 9.1 8.8 
			  Max of weeks 42.5 59.5 72.8 68.5 
			   
			 Sussex Average of weeks 29.1 27.5 20.9 25.3 
			  Min of weeks 7.5 1.5 6.1 1.1 
			  Max of weeks 73.8 72.4 42.4 59.8 
			   
			 Teesside Average of weeks 6.3 25.2 42.1 42.3 
			  Min of weeks 4.4 6.8 17.6 10.7 
			  Max of weeks 9.1 43.4 79.3 86.4 
			   
			 Thames Valley Area Average of weeks 28.3 33.0 31.0 26.5 
			  Min of weeks 1.8 2.0 0.8 0.5 
			  Max of weeks 145.0 74.5 87.5 77.7 
			   
			 Warwickshire Average of weeks - 20.6 31.4 38.6 
			  Min of weeks - 5.8 15.8 17.8 
			  Max of weeks - 61.0 47.3 99.5 
			   
			 West Mercia Average of weeks - 13.0 24.7 27.1 
			  Min of weeks - 1.0 3.5 3.7 
			  Max of weeks - 33.7 79.3 64.7 
			   
			 West Midlands Average of weeks 17.2 28.7 34.5 29.0 
			  Min of weeks 7.2 1.1 1.2 2.1 
			  Max of weeks 60.5 57.3 75.0 102.2 
			   
			 West Yorkshire Average of weeks 29.2 28.6 26.0 27.0 
			  Min of weeks 1.4 0.0 0.3 0.1 
			  Max of weeks 124.1 161.5 81.2 115.8 
			   
			 Wiltshire Average of weeks 35.2 35.7 33.7 29.8 
			  Min of weeks 9.4 2.3 2.3 11.4 
			  Max of weeks 80.8 103.3 77.1 81.7

Fixed Penalties: Fines

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will reject any proposals to introduce a victims' surcharge for fixed penalties and on the spot fines; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Ward: It is Government policy that, where possible, offenders should contribute to victims' services as part of their reparation. Provisions were therefore included in the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 providing for a surcharge to be payable on criminal convictions, penalty notices for disorder and on fixed penalty notices for road traffic offences where the offences are persistent and serious.
	The victim surcharge was introduced on 1 April 2007 and has been applied initially only to fines imposed in magistrates and Crown courts at a rate of £15. We intend to add the surcharge to other disposals as soon as it becomes feasible to do so. Proceeds raised from the surcharge provide a ring-fenced source of funding for a wide variety of organisations providing non-financial support to victims and witnesses of crime.

Magistrates' Courts: Welsh Language

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on translating summonses into Welsh in each month since January 2009; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many requests there have been for summonses to be translated into Welsh in each month since January 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: From 9 December 2008 to 13 September 2009, HMCS operated a national process for manual translation of documents into Welsh. This was the period between completion of Libra IT rollout across all magistrates' courts, and the release of the bilingual version of the system. During this time documents were manually translated upon request, within one working day.
	Since 13 September, bilingual documents have been produced automatically from Libra where customers indicate a Welsh language preference.
	From January 2009 to September 2009, HMCS spent a total of £2,605 on manual translation of summonses into Welsh. The following table gives a breakdown per month.
	
		
			  Cost of translation of Libra documents into Welsh (from January to September 2009) 
			  Month  Cost (£) 
			 January 2009 410.00 
			 February 2009 365.00 
			 March 2009 620.00 
			 April 2009 270.00 
			 May 2009 170.00 
			 June 2009 305.00 
			 July 2009 240.00 
			 August 2009 150.00 
			 September 2009 75.00 
			 Total 2,605.00 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of requests 
			   Number 
			 January 2009 19 
			 February 2009 38 
			 March 2009 42 
			 April 2009 33 
			 May 2009 36 
			 June 2009 58 
			 July 2009 44 
			 August 2009 38 
			 September 2009 26 
			 Total 334

Mentally Ill: Health Services

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the operational cost per patient per year of a  (a) low,  (b) medium and  (c) high security mental health unit.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	The latest figures for the cost per patient per year in a high secure hospital for 2009-10 is £291,780 (figures from the service level agreement with the hospitals). This is the average cost per annum for all high secure services except for patients with dangerous and severe personality disorder.
	The latest figures for costs for patients in medium and low secure units are the 2007-08 NHS reference costs. For 2007-08, the national average cost per patient per year in a medium secure unit was £171,915 (based on cost per patient per bed day of £471). For the same period, the national average cost per patient per year for low secure mental health units was £142,715 (based on cost per patient per bed day of £391).

Mentally Ill: Health Services

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many patient places in  (a) low,  (b) medium and  (c) high security mental health units were vacant at 1 June 2009.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	At 1 June 2009 there were a total of 771 commissioned patient beds in high secure units (excluding dangerous and severe personality disorder services). On that date, there were 691 inpatients. In addition, there were 55 high secure patients on trial leave to other secure services.
	Figures are not available for vacancies broken down by low and medium secure units. Information is available on the average daily number of mental health and learning disability beds in national health service secure units, and this is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Average daily number of mental health and learning disability secure unit beds in NHS units 2008-09 
			 Available Mental illness 3,292 
			 Occupancy Mental illness 2,885 
			 Available Learning Disability 554 
			 Occupancy Learning Disability 508 
			  Source:  The Department of Health Dataset KH03.

National Offender Management Service: Consultants

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the National Offender Management Scheme spent on consultants in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06 and  (c) 2006-07.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice was formed on the 9 May 2007. This merger included the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). NOMS previously formed part of the Home Office.
	The Ministry of Justice does not hold data in relation to NOMS, including on consultancy costs, for years prior to 2007.
	The Ministry of Justice is in the process of implementing a new procurement system that will capture data on consultancy spend. Implementation is due to be completed in the new year, and the information will be available in the second quarter of 2010.

National Probation Trust Programme: Expenditure

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) budget and  (b) projected actual cost of the National Probation Trust Programme was for 2009-10.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Resource total (£) 
			 Forecast outturn 3,361,184 
			 Annual budget 3,611,184 
			 Forecast variance 250,000

National Probation Trust Programme: Expenditure

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what total budget was set for the National Probation Trust Programme over the lifetime of the programme; and what his latest estimate is of the total projected cost of the programme.

Maria Eagle: The allocation of funds to the Probation Trust Programme has been managed on an annual basis. The annual differences in allocation reflect the changes to the scale and scope of the programme in each of the three years.
	Throughout its lifetime the programme has consistently come in under budget; this is as a consequence of in-year changes to the scope of the programme.
	The total budget allocation for the Probation Trust Programme is £11.095 million; the latest estimated cost over the three years is £8.346 million.

Offenders: Mentally ill

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the relative effectiveness in alleviating mental health problems of  (a) prison,  (b) secure mental health units and  (c) other disposals.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning mental health care in prisons. Where possible they aim for an equivalent service to that provided in the community with general practitioners providing the initial assessment and a gateway to psychological therapies, visiting psychiatrists and prison in reach teams. When prisoners' mental health problems require them to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act, they are transferred to secure mental health units.
	Measuring relative effectiveness is complicated by the different levels of care provided in each setting. However, the Department has recently commissioned a call for research into the evidence base on secure forensic inpatient services in England (high, medium and low secure forensic services). This review will systematically assess the context and mechanisms through which high, medium and low secure forensic inpatient services produce outcomes. It is envisaged this review will improve current evidence about why services work, what might work in specific circumstances, and the impact on resources, deliverability and health equity.

Office for Criminal Justice Reform: Finance

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what projects the Office for Criminal Justice Reform has funded in each year since it was created; and how much funding was provided for each such project.

Claire Ward: To provide the information requested for all the years since the Office for Criminal Justice Reform was created would incur disproportionate cost. Information is readily available for 2008-09: financial information for the projects the Office for Criminal Justice Reform supported in for 2008-09 is shown in the table.
	In addition to the projects shown in the table, the Office for Criminal Justice Reform supports local projects through the Community Cashback scheme. The scheme (worth £4 million this year) gives local people a say in how recovered criminal assets should be used to support local communities.
	Details of the projects supported by Community Cashback can be found at:
	http://cashback.cjsonline.gov.uk/
	
		
			  OCJR funded projects 2008-09 and 2009-10 
			  £ million 
			   2008-09  2009-10 
			  Project  Resource  Capital  Resource  Capital 
			  Business Change Projects 
			 Exchange Links-Sharing information between CJS agencies' IT systems 4.67 - - - 
			 PROGRESS-IT tool to track court directions 1.18 0.50 0.20 - 
			 CJS Exchange Improvements (Virtualisation) - 1.41 - - 
			 Bichard Recommendation 7 5.74 3.17 1.90 2.99 
			 Postal Charging 0.48 0.37  0.15 
			 Virtual Courts 1.29 1.99 0.50 0.75 
			 eYOT-Development of Case Management System for youth offending teams - 2.00 0.77 3.40 
			 Warwickshire Justice Centre - - - 2.00 
			 YJB to Probation-information handoff - - 0.50 - 
			 Disruption of mobile 'phones in prisons - - - 0.79 
			 Conditional cautions 0.72 - 0.10 - 
			 British Transport Police-Exchange Links - - 0.25 - 
			 Piloting of Live Links for all Witnesses (except defendants) 0.04 - - - 
			 Victim Intermediaries 0.23 - - - 
			 Developing the capacity and capability of LCJBs (Beacons approach) 0.33 - - - 
			 Witness Charter 0.03 - - - 
			 Maximising Video Conferencing Programme 0.29 - - - 
			 Prison to Court Video Links 0.12 - - - 
			 Development of Compliance and Enforcement measure - - 0.15 - 
			  
			  Strategy Projects 
			 Waterfall/CJS unit costs 0.03 - - - 
			 Strategy reviews 0.06 - 0.25 - 
			  
			  Research Projects 
			 CJS Modelling 0.30 - - - 
			 Improving CJS Data Quality 0.30 - 0.18 - 
			 Local Criminal Justice Board Guidance-community engagement 0.03 - - - 
			 Postal Requisitions-evaluation 0.04 - - - 
			 Victim Service Mapping 0.11 - 0.08 - 
			 Research on Conditional Cautions for Women 0.02 - 0.04 - 
			 Research-Women and the Criminal Justice System 0.04 - - - 
			 Communications and Confidence 0.02 - - - 
			 Virtual Courts-evaluation - - 0.12 - 
			 Community Payback - - 0.09 - 
			 Research-Efficiency and Effectiveness - - 0.20 - 
			 Research-Supporting Local Delivery - - 0.23 - 
			  
			  Local Delivery Projects 
			 LCJB Innovation Fund 0.10 - - - 
			 Realising the Potential of LCJBs 1.70 - 2.34 - 
			  
			  Race and Confidence Projects 
			 Race and Confidence Challenge Fund 0.25 - 0.10 - 
			 Diagnostic Tool to support delivery of PSA Indicator 4 (Race Disproportionality) 0.03 - 0.01 - 
			 Race for Justice Action Plan - - 0.05 - 
			 Community engagement pathfinder areas - - 2.55 - 
			  
			  Victims and Witnesses Projects 
			 Review of Code of Practice for Victims 0.03 - 0.10 - 
			 Development and roll out of Good Practice Toolkit for Child Witnesses 0.01 - 0.19 - 
			 Funding for LCJBs to support delivery of Indicator 3 (Victim and Witness Satisfaction) 0.25 - - - 
			 Development of Strategy to Support Children and young people who are victims of crime 0.02 - - - 
			 Review of Victim Support's Witness Services 0.13 - 0.25 - 
			 Review of Victims Advisory Panel 0.01 - - - 
			 Victims Pledge-improving support for young victims of crime - - 0.50 - 
			 Total 18.58 9.44 11.14 10.08

Prison Sentences

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison places are available at each prison serving the Greater Manchester area when at full capacity; and how many prisoners were serving sentences at each such prison on the latest date for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The following table gives the numbers of prisoners serving sentences in prison establishments in the North West region at the end of June 2009, the latest date for which figures are available.
	
		
			  Establishment  Operational capacity  Sentenced population  Held on remand and civil offenders  Total held in custody 
			 Altcourse 1324 975 339 1,314 
			 Buckley Hall 381 377 0 377 
			 Forest Bank 1160 697 447 1,144 
			 Garth 847 817 0 817 
			 Hindley 515 218 71 289 
			 Haverigg 644 629 0 629 
			 Kirkham 590 566 2 568 
			 Kennet 342 336 0 336 
			 Lancaster Castle 243 228 0 228 
			 Lancaster Farms 530 392 101 493 
			 Liverpool 1,445 990 347 1,337 
			 Manchester 1,286 846 380 1,226 
			 Preston 842 411 335 746 
			 Risley 1,093 1,079 1 1,080 
			 Styal 458 317 133 450 
			 Thorn Cross 322 301 0 301 
			 Wymott 1,144 1,126 1 1,127 
			 Total 13,166 10,305 2157 12,462 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	The operational capacity of a prison is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. It is determined by area managers on the basis of operational judgment and experience.

Prison Sentences

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners sentenced to serve an indeterminate sentence for public protection were over tariff  (a) having had a parole hearing and  (b) not yet having had a parole hearing on the most recent date for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many cases involving prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection processed by the Parole Board were  (a) resolved,  (b) deferred or adjourned at the hearing and  (c) deferred or cancelled at the pre-hearing stage in each month in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: We are in the process of undertaking an audit of data on outstanding parole reviews for prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP). I will write to the hon. Member, once the audit is complete and will place a copy of the reply in the Library.
	The number of prisoners serving IPP sentences, whose parole applications were referred to the Parole Board, and which were  (a) resolved,  (b) deferred or adjourned at the hearing and  (c) deferred or cancelled at the pre-hearing stage in each month since the inception of IPP sentences are shown in the tables below. The information has been collated from data held by the Parole Board. It is broken down by month and financial year categorised as: resolved by oral hearing; resolved by paper decision; deferred or adjourned at hearing; and cancelled or deferred before the hearing was convened. (The monthly split for cases deferred or adjourned at the hearing is not available for the financial year 2006-07.)
	
		
			  2006-07 
			   Resolved by oral hearing  Resolved by paper decision  Deferred or adjourned at hearing  Cancelled or deferred pre-hearing 
			 April 2006 3 0 n/a 0 
			 May 2006 0 0 n/a 2 
			 June 2006 1 0 n/a 1 
			 July 2006 1 0 n/a 2 
			 August 2006 2 0 n/a 0 
			 September 2006 3 0 n/a 4 
			 October 2006 2 0 n/a 5 
			 November 2006 5 0 n/a 3 
			 December 2006 7 0 n/a 1 
			 January 2007 5 0 n/a 4 
			 February 2007 10 0 n/a 5 
			 March 2007 11 0 n/a 6 
			 Financial year total 50 0 (1)24 33 
			 (1) This is the annual total as monthly figures are not available for 2006-07 
		
	
	
		
			  2007-08 
			   Resolved by oral hearing  Resolved by paper decision  Deferred or adjourned at hearing  Cancelled or deferred pre-hearing 
			 April 2007 12 0 1 6 
			 May 2007 11 0 2 3 
			 June 2007 22 0 3 6 
			 July 2007 30 0 3 16 
			 August 2007 15 0 0 6 
			 September 2007 33 0 8 11 
			 October 2007 13 0 4 0 
			 November 2007 32 8 7 11 
			 December 2007 17 0 6 2 
			 January 2008 8 4 3 3 
			 February 2008 6 3 4 6 
			 March 2008 10 10 3 2 
			 Financial year total 209 25 44 72 
		
	
	
		
			  2008-09 
			   Resolved, by oral hearing  Resolved by paper decision  Deferred or adjourned at hearing  Cancelled or deferred pre hearing 
			 April 2008 18 3 5 5 
			 May 2008 21 9 5 3 
			 June 2008 30 5 4 11 
			 July 2008 25 3 10 13 
			 August 2008 32 0 9 5 
			 September 2008 40 2 7 11 
			 October 2008 47 (1)0 8 8 
			 November 2008 45 9 13 8 
			 December 2008 49 13 14 19 
			 January 2009 31 7 14 18 
			 February 2009 54 33 16 20 
			 March 2009 41 35 18 10 
			 Financial year total 433 119 123 131 
			 (1) Figures for resolved by paper decision are not available for October 2008 
		
	
	
		
			  2009-10 
			   Resolved by oral hearing  Resolved by paper decision  Deferred or adjourned at hearing  Cancelled or deferred pre-hearing 
			 April 2009 46 28 4 14 
			 May 2009 46 46 6 12 
			 June 2009 84 35 21 23 
			 July 2009 84 25 21 24 
			 August 2009 47 31 21 22 
			 September 2009 83 38 10 19 
			 Financial year total 390 203 83 114

Prisoners Transfers

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the recent inquiry into the inappropriate transfer of prisoners between HM Prison Pentonville and HM Prison Wandsworth has considered whether staff should be dismissed; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: In each case, the hearing authority considered the allegations against individual members of staff in the light of all of the available evidence. The allegations were found proven against three members of staff who consequently received disciplinary penalties.

Staff Transfers

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the staff of the Legal Complaints Service (LCS) will have the right to move to the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) under transfer of undertakings, protection of employment regulations when the work of the LCS is transferred to the OLC.

Bridget Prentice: I realise that this is an uncertain and anxious time for many staff, but can assure you that an announcement will be made in the near future.
	However, I would emphasis that in establishing the OLC, we are creating a completely new culture in complaints handling. The Legal Services Act 2007 introduces a fresh approach to the regulation of legal services and the change in complaints handling is an integral part of that.
	We are currently in discussion with the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC), the Law Society and other approved regulators on the practical requirements for transition from the old complaints handling regime to the new system under the OLC, and the implications this will have on staff employed by the current complaints handling bodies. It is essential throughout this process that the high standard of service consumers expect is maintained, while also ensuring that staff receive full support. Any arrangement will be aligned with the assurance I made to this House that, in creating the OLC, the principles of TUPE will apply to the transfer of staff.

Prisons: Drugs

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to his Department was of dispensing methadone prescriptions in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not held centrally. Since 2006, the national health service has been responsible for the commissioning of clinical services in prisons, including the administration of medicines. Individual budgetary costs are therefore the concern of local NHS primary care trusts (PCTs).
	With the introduction of the Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS), methadone treatment for drug dependence has become increasingly available in prison. The purpose of IDTS is to bring improvements to the quality and volume of drug treatment in prisons. Since 2006, the Department of Health has allocated four waves of IDTS funding to NHS PCTs to implement enhanced prison clinical drug treatment:
	
		
			   Funding (£ million) 
			 2006-07 7.8 
			 2007-08 11.5 
			 2008-09 23.2 
			 2009-10 39.7

Probation: Expenditure

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the estimated outturn of each probation area budget for financial year 2010-11 was at the time the budgets were set; and what his most recent estimate is.

Maria Eagle: There is no estimated outturn for 2010-11. However the forecast outturn for 2009-10 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   £000 
			 Durham Probation Board 10,615 
			 Northumbria Probation Board 28,608 
			 Teesside Probation Board 13,409 
			 Dyfed Powys Probation Trust 8,860 
			 Gwent Probation Board 10,805 
			 North Wales Probation Board 12,317 
			 South Wales Probation Trust 24,385 
			 Humberside Probation Trust 18,543 
			 North Yorkshire Probation Board 9,816 
			 South Yorkshire Probation Board 25,003 
			 West Yorkshire Probation Board 41,789 
			 Cheshire Probation Board 15,162 
			 Cumbria Probation Board 8,667 
			 Greater Manchester Probation Trust 52,942 
			 Lancashire Probation Trust 24,532 
			 Merseyside Probation Trust 32,550 
			 Staffordshire Probation Board 16,904 
			 Warwickshire Probation Board 7,177 
			 West Mercia Probation Trust 15,217 
			 West Midlands Probation Board 57,319 
			 Bedfordshire Probation Board 9,475 
			 Cambridgeshire Probation Board 10,098 
			 Essex Probation Board 19,392 
			 Hertfordshire Probation Board 11,464 
			 Norfolk Probation Board 11,582 
			 Suffolk Probation Board 10,019 
			 Hampshire Probation Board 24,834 
			 Kent Probation Board 21,470 
			 Surrey Probation Board 10,564 
			 Sussex Probation Board 18,074 
			 Thames Valley Probation Board 25,776 
			 Derbyshire Probation Board 14,186 
			 Leicestershire Probation Trust 15,273 
			 Lincolnshire Probation Board 9,464 
			 Northamptonshire Probation Board 9,279 
			 Nottinghamshire Probation Board 19,327 
			 Avon and Somerset Probation Board 20,453 
			 Devon and Cornwall Probation Board 20,351 
			 Dorset Probation Board 9,445 
			 Gloucestershire Probation Board 7,881 
			 Wiltshire Probation Trust 8,064 
			 London Probation Board 151,093 
			 Total 892,185 
		
	
	Overall probation is forecasting an underspend of £2 million for 2009-10.

Sentencing: Young Offenders

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young people aged  (a) under 18 and  (b) 18 years old received a (i) community rehabilitation order, (ii) supervision order, (iii) community punishment order, (iv) attendance centre order, (v) curfew order, (vi) reparation order, (vii) action plan order and (viii) referral order in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Claire Ward: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Persons sentenced to community sentences by age and type of sentence, 2007: England and Wales 
			  Number of persons 
			   Under 18  18 
			 Community Rehabilitation Order 1,851 169 
			 Supervision Order 11,952 (1)- 
			 Community Punishment Order 1,915 101 
			 Attendance Centre Order 3,199 139 
			 Curfew Order 4,690 200 
			 Reparation Order 4,055 (1)- 
			 Action Plan Order 4,865 (1)- 
			 Referral Order 32,142 (1)- 
			 (1) Not applicable. These orders can only be given to those aged under 18.  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 2. Totals for 18-year-olds will not include any offenders aged 18 whose age was not recorded in court IT systems.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	These data have been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. These data are presented on the principal offence basis: where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed; where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many attacks on ambulance staff there have been in each constituency in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: This information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Since 2004-05, the number of physical assaults against staff reported by national health service bodies in England has been collected annually by the NHS Security Management Service.
	The numbers of physical assaults reported against staff by the ambulance trusts serving Lancashire in the period 2004-05 to 2008-09 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 15 9 - - - 
			 North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust - - 166 234 169 
			  Note: The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was established on 1 July 2006 as an amalgamation of the Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, the Cumbria Ambulance Service NHS Trust, the Merseyside and Cheshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and the Greater Manchester Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Bone Marrow Disorders: Donors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of patients who have received treatment for bone marrow cancer received bone marrow from  (a) UK and  (b) non-UK donors in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of UK cancer patients received bone marrow from US donors in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The Department does not hold this information centrally.

Breast Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) admissions and  (b) emergency admissions for breast cancer there have been in (i) England, (ii) each primary care trust area of responsibility and (iii) each cancer network area of responsibility, as recorded in the Hospital Episodes Statistics database in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Tables showing count of finished admission episodes and emergency finished admission episodes where the primary diagnosis was breast cancer have been placed in the Library. The information has been provided for England and for primary care trusts. Information is not centrally held for cancer networks.

Breast Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) elective and  (b) emergency bed days were accounted for by breast cancer patients in each year since 1997-98 (A) in total and (B) broken down by (i) primary care trust area of responsibility and (ii) cancer network area of responsibility, as recorded in the Hospital Episodes Statistics database; and at what overall cost to the public purse.

Ann Keen: Tables showing the count of finished consultant episode (FCE) bed days where the primary diagnosis was breast cancer, separated into emergency and elective admissions and split by primary care trust responsibility, for the years 1997-08 to 2008-09 have been placed in the Library.
	FCE bed day data are not available at cancer network level. Information on the cost of bed days is not available centrally.

Breast Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio of mastectomies to breast conserving surgical procedures was in  (a) England,  (b) each cancer network and  (c) each primary care trust area in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: Tables showing ratio of mastectomies to breast conserving surgical procedures where breast cancer was recorded have been placed in the Library.
	The information has been provided for England and for primary care trusts. Information is not centrally held for cancer networks.

Breast Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of women undergoing surgery for breast cancer received immediate breast reconstruction surgery in  (a) England,  (b) each cancer network and  (c) each primary care trust area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
	The National Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction Audit (NMBRA) only collects data on patients having mastectomy for breast cancer, not all surgery for breast cancer. The data are available at a national and cancer network level, but not at primary care trust level.
	The data has been taken from the NMBRA 2 Annual Report, published in October 2009. This publication is available online at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/services/national-clinical-audit-support-programme-ncasp/audit-reports/mastectomy-and-breast-reconstruction
	The audit collected data on patients who have had a mastectomy, with or without immediate reconstruction, or delayed reconstruction for breast cancer mastectomy patients between 1 January 2008 and 31 March 2009.
	When the aAudit closed for submissions 15,479 female mastectomy patients had been entered into the data collection system. Of these 3,216 women underwent immediate breast reconstruction.
	
		
			  Percentage of women by cancer network who accepted an offer of an immediate reconstruction 
			  Cancer network  Compliance (percentage) 
			 3 counties 26.5 
			 Anglia 21.4 
			 Arden 12.8 
			 Avon, Somerset and Wiltshire 21.1 
			 Central South Coast 23.3 
			 Derby/Burton 16.3 
			 Dorset 13.7 
			 Essex 42.8 
			 Greater Manchester and Cheshire 16.1 
			 Greater Midlands 18.0 
			 Humber and Yorkshire Coast 26.2 
			 Kent and Medway 17.1 
			 Lancashire and South Cumbria 19.3 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 9.1 
			 Merseyside and Cheshire 22.3 
			 Mid Trent 18.6 
			 Mount Vernon 20.0 
			 North East London 23.6 
			 North London 25.9 
			 North of England 9.9 
			 North Trent 10.5 
			 Pan Birmingham 11.1 
			 Peninsula 13.7 
			 South East London 34.5 
			 South West London 31.7 
			 Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire 36.1 
			 Sussex 25.2 
			 Thames Valley 17.7 
			 West London 24.4 
			 Yorkshire 16.8 
			  Notes: 1. All eligible national health service trusts in England have participated in the Audit but case ascertainment is not 100 per cent. for all trusts. Therefore the audit's data does not cover all eligible patients. 2. The second Annual Report reported on the 30 cancer networks that existed when the audit began in January 2008. Subsequently, Mid Trent; Derby/Burton; and Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland combined to become East Midlands Cancer Network, and there are currently 28 cancer networks.

Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage compliance was of each cancer network with  (a) 3A and  (b) 1E-1 measures, as set out in section 8.5 of his Department's Cancer Commissioning Guidance published in December 2008.

Ann Keen: The Manual for Cancer Services (2004) contains a number of quality measures for commissioners and providers of national health service services. Compliance against the measures was last reviewed under the National Cancer Peer Review Programme 2004-07.
	The following table shows the percentage of cancer networks that were compliant with quality measure 3A, which covers cross-cutting services provided by specialist palliative care multi-disciplinary teams.
	
		
			  Percentage of cancer networks compliant with measure 3A (The Specialist Palliative Care Team) of the Manual for Cancer Services (2004) 
			  Cancer network  Compliance (percentage) 
			 3 Counties 65 
			 Anglia Cancer Network 51 
			 Arden 61 
			 Avon, Somerset and Wiltshire 64 
			 Central South Coast 56 
			 Derby/Burton 90 
			 Dorset 81 
			 Essex Cancer Network 67 
			 Greater Manchester and Cheshire 68 
			 Greater Midlands 60 
			 Humber and Yorkshire Coast 58 
			 Kent and Medway 65 
			 Lancashire and South Cumbria 33 
			 Leicester, Northamptonshire, Rutland 70 
			 Merseyside and Cheshire 61 
			 Mid Trent 82 
			 Mount Vernon 41 
			 North East London 69 
			 North London 41 
			 North of England Cancer Network 70 
			 North Trent 72 
			 Pan-Birmingham 57 
			 Peninsula 68 
			 South East London 68 
			 South West London 81 
			 Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire 59 
			 Sussex 14 
			 Thames Valley 57 
			 West London 67 
			 Yorkshire 77 
			  Source: National Cancer Peer Review Programme 2004-07 
		
	
	The following table shows the percentage of cancer networks that were compliant with quality measure 1E-1, which covers cross-cutting services for palliative care across network palliative care groups.
	
		
			  Percentage of cancer networks compliant with measure 1E-1 (Functions of the Network Palliative Care Group) of the Manual for Cancer Services (2004) 
			  Cancer network  Compliance (percentage) 
			 3 Counties 74 
			 Arden 70 
			 Avon, Somerset and Wiltshire 74 
			 Black Country 70 
			 Cancer Care Alliance 65 
			 Central South Coast 83 
			 Derby/Burton 100 
			 Dorset 78 
			 Greater Manchester and Cheshire 74 
			 Greater Midlands 48 
			 Humber and Yorkshire Coast 52 
			 Kent and Medway 87 
			 Lancashire and South Cumbria 17 
			 Leicester, Northamptonshire, Rutland 74 
			 Merseyside and Cheshire 78 
			 Mid Trent 96 
			 Mount Vernon 22 
			 North East London 57 
			 North London 43 
			 North of England Cancer Network 91 
			 North Trent 65 
			 North West Midlands 22 
			 Pan-Birmingham 43 
			 Peninsula 61 
			 South East London 70 
			 South Essex 61 
			 South West London 87 
			 Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire 65 
			 Sussex 35 
			 Thames Valley 96 
			 West Anglia 61 
			 West London 52 
			 Yorkshire 83 
			  Source: National Cancer Peer Review Programme 2004-07

Cancer: Health Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated total expenditure on  (a) cancer care and  (b) breast cancer care was in (i) England, (ii) each cancer network area and (iii) for each primary care trust in each of the last five years; and how much was spent on (A) inpatient costs excluding those relating to surgery, (B) surgery including daycare and inpatient stays, (C) drugs, cost of medicine preparation and administration, (D) outpatients, diagnostics, first and follow-up appointments, (E) screening, (F) radiotherapy, (G) specialist palliative care (excluding voluntary sector) and (H) other, calculated through the same method as that used to calculate the chart on page 119 of his Department's Cancer Reform Strategy, published on 3 December 2007 in each year.

Ann Keen: Tables showing estimated expenditure on cancer care and breast cancer care for England, primary care trusts (PCTs) and cancer networks have been placed in the Library.
	Information on cancer care has been provided for England and PCTs for the last five years. Information on cancer care has been provided for cancer networks from 2004-05, as this is the first year that the information became available. Information for breast cancer care has been provided from 2006-07 as this is the first year that data were collected at sub-category level for a number of tumour types.
	The information requested on in-patient costs excluding those relating to surgery, surgery including daycare and in-patient stays, drugs, cost of medicine preparation and administration, outpatients, diagnostics, first and follow-up appointments, screening, radiotherapy, specialist palliative care (excluding voluntary sector) and other is not routinely available.
	The estimated total national health service spend on cancer care represented in the graph on page 119 of the Cancer Reform Strategy was an analysis commissioned specifically for inclusion in the strategy. It was based on a wide range of data from 2005-06, and the sources of these data are quoted in the strategy. An estimated NHS spend on cancer care under the same categories of that graph is not available for any other years, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Cholesterol

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has given to primary care trusts on the delivery of cascade testing for families of patients diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of provision of cascade testing for families of patients diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia by primary care trusts in England, as recommended in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guideline 71;
	(3)  what measures his Department has in place to monitor the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on familial hypercholesterolemia; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department has not made any assessment or given any guidance to primary care trusts on the delivery of cascade testing for families diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia and has no plans to do so.
	The Department has no measures in place to monitor the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on familial hypercholesterolemia. We are facilitating work on a Primary Care Services Framework on familial hypercholesterolemia which is underway at the moment.
	The Department has commissioned NHS Primary Care Commissioning to develop, with stakeholders, a Primary Care Service Framework (PCSF) on Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH). PCSFs are model specifications (without benchmark prices) that provide a source of guidance, advice and support to primary care trusts and other National Health Service organisations to effectively commission and provide services using local contacts.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will consider the merits of inclusion of the therapeutic strategy of pacing as part of the treatment packages offered by specialist chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy services.

Ann Keen: It is the responsibility of health professionals, working in conjunction with the wishes of individual patients, to use their clinical judgement to decide on the most appropriate treatment package for those living with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
	Detailed guidelines on the treatment and diagnosis of CFS/ME were published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in August 2007.

Departmental Food

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) lamb,  (b) beef,  (c) chicken,  (d) pork,  (e) turkey,  (f) other meats,  (g) vegetables and  (h) fruit procured by his Department that was produced in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many Christmas parties his Department plans to host in 2009; what has been budgeted for each such reception; what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) lamb,  (b) beef,  (c) chicken,  (d) pork,  (e) turkey,  (f) other meats,  (g) vegetables,  (h) fruit and  (i) alcohol to be served at each such function which is produced in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The proportion of domestically produced food procured by the Department has gone up from 58.5 per cent. in 2006-07 to 74 per cent. in 2007-08. Figures for 2008-09 are not currently available.
	Quadrant Catering provides the staff restaurant and hospitality catering at the Department of Health sites in London and Eurest Services provides the same services to the Department of Work and Pensions, which includes the Quarry House site in Leeds where some Health employees are based. Both Quadrant Catering and Eurest Services are part of Compass Group UK and Ireland, one of the United Kingdom's largest contract caterers.
	Specific information about British products used within the Department of Health and Department of Work and Pensions contracts is listed as follows. This information was made publicly available in late 2008 and there will be another report produced towards the end of 2009.
	
		
			  Proportion of domestically produced food used (by value), i.e. indigenously produced, 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 
			   Percentage 
			 Bakery-e.g. bread loaves and rolls (i.e. origin of ingredients used and not where baked) 100 
			   
			  Dairy  
			 Whole eggs (i.e. in shells) 100 
			 Fresh milk (e.g. whole, semi-skimmed, skimmed) 100 
			 Cheese 85 
			   
			  Vegetables, salads and fruit  
			 Ware potatoes-whole, unprepared 95 
			 Processed potatoes-for prepared both whole and cut 95 
			 Roots and onions-e.g. carrots, parsnips, onions, turnips and Swedes 95 
			 Brassicas-e.g. brussel sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower 64 
			 Legumes-e.g. beans (broad), beans (runner and dwarf), peas (green for market), peas (green for processing), peas (harvested dry) 50 
			 Protected vegetables-e.g. tomatoes (round, vine, plum and cherry), tomatoes (cold), cucumbers, lettuce, celery, sweet peppers 25 
			 Other vegetables-e.g. asparagus, celery, leeks, lettuce, watercress 51 
			 Orchard fruit-e.g. dessert apples, culinary apples, pears, plums 51 
			 Soft fruit-e.g. strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants 41 
			   
			  Meat and poultry  
			 Poultry meat 100 
			 Beef and veal 85 
			 Mutton and lamb 60 
			 Bacon 0 
			 Pork 85 
			   
			 Fish 40 
			   
			 Overall percentage indigenous food 74 
			 Overall percentage indigenous food by value if available 75 
		
	
	All expenditure by civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. The Department does not fund internal Christmas parties for officials, and staff are expected to fund these parties themselves. The Department does not collect information about the Christmas functions hosted or attended by officials in the Department and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) page hits and  (b) visitors his Department's website received in 2008-09.

Phil Hope: The following table shows the number of page hits, visits and unique visitors by month to the Department's website from April 2008 to March 2009.
	The annual total of page hits for the year was 65,456,247. The annual total of visits for the year was 15,298,880.
	A visit commences when a user, having opened their browser, loads a page for the first time. On closing their browser, the visit is ended. Thus a session can include multiple page hits.
	The table also shows the number of unique visitors for each month. Unique visitors are visitors loading pages from the site during the specified time scale (in this case a calendar month). A unique visitor is counted once within the time scale, and can make multiple visits during the time scale.
	
		
			   Unique visitors in month  Visits in month  Page hits 
			 March 2009 1,033,680 1,532,397 6,383,331 
			 February 2009 924,026 1,361,442 5,642,052 
			 January 2009 1,017,122 1,507,257 6,205,364 
			 December 2008 696,636 1,041,753 4,403,460 
			 November 2008 874,024 1,278,086 5,578,886 
			 October 2008 849,325 1,257,254 5,555,268 
			 September 2008 772,629 1,126,097 4,717,921 
			 August 2008 580,293 859,571 3,647,145 
			 July 2008 806,832 1,226,589 5,122,615 
			 June 2008 964,577 1,389,120 5,883,074 
			 May 2008 914,972 1,316,806 5,842,608 
			 April 2008 959,929 1,402,508 6,474,523

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by his Department in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: The Department does not directly employ consultants or contractors. Consequently, details of their salaries are not held by the Department as they are a matter for individuals and their employing company.
	Management consultancy organisations are commercially contracted by the Department. Contracts are based on satisfactory completion of set tasks defined in the contracted scope of works. Unsatisfactory delivery of these tasks would result in payment being withheld by the Department in line with the terms of each contract.
	Contractors are engaged through commercial contracts by individual directorates. While there may be instances where incentives relating to successful outcomes have been used, information breaking down costs paid to individual contractors is not held centrally on the Department's business management system.

Departmental Recruitment

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of jobs advertised by his Department in the last 12 months were online only applications; and what provision his Department makes for those wishing to apply for jobs in his Department who do not have access to the internet.

Phil Hope: The Department does not routinely collect this information centrally.
	The Department follows the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles when advertising all vacancies externally.

Departmental Taxis

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts his Department has with private hire taxi companies; and what expenditure his Department has incurred against each such contract in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: The Department had contracts with Addison Lee over the last three years and with GDCA Green Cars during 2008-09.
	The expenditure against each contract is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Addison Lee  GDCA Green Cars 
			 2006-07 306,310 - 
			 2007-08 336,934 - 
			 2008-09 291,985 22,935 
		
	
	Both contracts were cancelled recently in order to reduce the Department's carbon footprint and save money.

Diabetes

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of  (a) psychological support and  (b) education for people suffering from (i) Type 1 and (ii) Type 2 diabetes; and what steps he plans to take to improve such support.

Ann Keen: We have not made any recent assessments into the adequacy of either psychological support or education for people suffering from (i) Type 1 and (ii) Type 2 diabetes. It is for primary care trusts to commission comprehensive diabetes services that meet the needs of their local population.
	We recognise the important role emotional and psychological support has in enabling people with diabetes to self-manage their condition on a day-to-day basis. The Department is working with National Health Service Diabetes and Diabetes UK to identify what needs to be done to enable the national health service and local care services to meet the psychological and emotional needs of all people with diabetes.
	Since the publication of the Department of Health and Diabetes UK joint report: 'Structured Patient Education in Diabetes' in June 2005, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, we have been working with NHS Diabetes to find ways to increase the spread of patient education programmes.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential drug rehabilitation places there are in England; and what proportion of such places was in use on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse maintains a voluntary national online directory of organisations that provide residential drug and/or alcohol rehabilitation services. There are currently over 120 residential services listed with 2,565 beds in England. Most of the beds are available for drug or alcohol rehabilitation and therefore cannot be disaggregated. Some services have chosen not to appear in the directory so the total number of places will be greater than this.
	Data on bed vacancies are collected as part of the related, and optional, BEDVACS service. The latest occupancy figure for the 116 services currently using BEDVACS was 83.5 per cent. on 17 November 2009.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the average annual cost of an opiate substitute prescription for a problem drug user;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of the average number of months during which a problem drug user takes a prescribed opiate substitute.

Gillian Merron: Drug treatment in England consists of various types of treatment, depending on the circumstances of the service user, including opiate substitute prescribing. A service user may therefore receive many different treatments over time which makes it difficult to isolate the cost of a single component such as substitute prescribing.
	The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System operated by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) records the type of treatment interventions each person receives, e.g. 'specialist prescribing' (from a specialist drug service) and 'GP prescribing' (from their general practitioner). It does not record the medication prescribed.
	The annual cost of a person in a prescribing intervention is estimated at between £2,000 and £5,000, depending on the medication prescribed, the intensity of their treatment and ancillary support.
	Data on the length of time that an opiate substitute is prescribed are not collected centrally, however research shows that staying in treatment for at least 12 weeks has a lasting positive benefit in reducing the harm associated with dependence.
	It is important to note that the duration of drug treatment varies markedly according to individual need and that it is not unusual for drug users to go in and out of treatment several times, often over several years, before becoming drug-free. Additionally, national clinical guidelines do not specify how long a person should be in treatment.
	Prescribing an opiate substitute has benefits for both the patient and society. It allows the patient an opportunity to stabilise their drug intake and lifestyle while breaking with the cyclic nature of illicit drug use and dependency, allowing them to take responsibility for their children, earn their own living and to keep a stable home.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Maize

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which studies of links between genetically modified corn and infertility in mice his Department has considered in the last two years; and how many genes were found by those studies to be expressed differently in the mice which were fed genetically modified corn.

Gillian Merron: The Food Standards Agency has sought advice from the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) regarding what conclusions may be drawn from the following publication:
	Velimirov et al., (2008), Forschungsberichte der Sektion IV, Band 3/2008, published by the Austrian Ministry of Health.
	This is a summary report that presents the results of investigations into the fertility of mice fed diets containing a type of genetically modified (GM) maize (NK603 x MON810) and two types of non-GM maize. This research project also included a number of studies on third generation mice fed on these diets, including an innovative microarray analysis of ribonucleic acid levels that found large number of differences between the GM and non-GM groups. Based on this analysis the authors reported that a total of 440 genes were expressed differently in these two groups and a large number of differences were also seen between mice fed on two types of non-GM maize. The authors reported that it was not possible to draw any general conclusion from these findings.
	The ACNFP considered this report at its meeting in November 2008 and advised that it was not possible to draw any conclusions about cause and effect or to assess the significance of this report for human health. The minutes of this meeting are available on the ACNFP website at:
	www.acnfp.gov.uk/meetings/acnfpmeet08/acnfpmeet20nov08/acnfpmin20nov08

Health: Children

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the Child Health Interim Application is still supported by manual systems; whether it can issue COVER reports; what recent progress has been made in the development and implementation of the Application; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which primary care trusts in London use the Child Health Interim Application; and what estimate he has made of the number of children resident in areas served by such trusts.

Ann Keen: The child health interim application (CHIA) was introduced in response to a decision in early 2005 to withdraw support for the ageing Regional Interactive Child Health System (RICHS) from 10 primary care trusts (PCTs) in London taken by its commercial supplier. CHIA was delivered to these PCTs at short notice by BT, the London local service provider under the national programme for information technology, as an interim measure at the request of the local national health service. This is now being taken forward by the local NHS and so the hon. Member may wish to contact the Chief Executive of NHS London.

Health: Learning Disability

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of GP practices use Directed Enhanced Service for annual health checks for people with learning disabilities.

Phil Hope: This information is not available centrally. We are however monitoring primary care trusts' spend on this directed enhanced service and have commissioned an independent survey of activity, by general practitioner practices, on this directed enhanced service. Both data sources suggest that since this directed enhanced service was introduced the number of health checks given to patients with learning disabilities has increased significantly, with overall expenditure expected to almost double from £6 million in 2008-09 to over £11 million in 2009-10.

Learning Disability: Administration of Justice

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the new regulatory arrangements for improving access to justice for people with a learning disability; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: We are not aware of having received any representations on the new regulatory arrangements for improving access to justice for people with a learning disability.
	However, we do seek views from the Working for Justice Group when we are developing policy on the implementation of Valuing People Now and delivering training to the criminal justice system.

Liver Diseases: Transplant Surgery

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to develop a new liver allocation scheme.

Ann Keen: A proposal document has been accepted by the Liver Selection and Allocation Working Party-part of NHS Blood and Transplant's (NHSBT) Liver Advisory Group-with four key stages: agreeing the aims of transplantation (maximising survival from the point of registration onto a transplant list); developing statistical models which can predict as accurately as possible a patient's survival without a liver transplant; developing models to predict survival after liver transplantation; and comparing four possible models of allocation.
	The process is being overseen by the Liver Selection and Allocation Working Party, reviewed by the Liver Advisory Group at NHSBT who will make final recommendations to the NHS BT Board for their ratification. The modelling is expected to finish by March 2010. A 12 month simulation will then follow, with the aim of having a final model for implementation by April 2011.

Lung Cancer

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he made of the finding of the National Lung Cancer Audit for 2007 that only 51 per cent. of lung cancer patients receive any form of active treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The quality of the submitted data has improved compared with previous years and, overall, measures of process and outcome of care appear to be improving. The National Cancer Director has encouraged all networks and trusts to review their own data and to take action, especially if they fall below the helpful benchmarks set out at the end of the report. The NHS Information Centre has offered trusts a local action planning toolkit to help them do this effectively.

Lung Cancer

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to assist the Lung Cancer Awareness Month initiative.

Ann Keen: We are committed to raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer, and this is a key focus of the Cancer Reform Strategy, published in December 2007. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
	We know that awareness weeks and months for specific cancer types can be an effective way of raising awareness of cancer. As part of this year's Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we have provided funding of £15,000 for lung cancer awareness leaflets to be sent to all pharmacies in England for public distribution. This is the second year that we have provided funding for these leaflets.
	A stakeholder group has been formed to address lung cancer awareness at a strategic level. The Lung Cancer Awareness Action and Advisory Group is working to raise awareness of lung cancer.
	Through the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, formally launched in November 2008, we are working to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer, including lung cancer, amongst the public and health professionals. This work includes: the development of key messages on a number of cancers (key messages for lung cancer are available on the NHS Choices website at:
	www.nhs.uk/pathways/lungcancer/pages/symptoms.aspx;
	carrying out a baseline national cancer symptom awareness survey; commissioning an audit of cancer diagnoses in primary care; and providing funding for a number of cancer awareness campaigns.
	As part of the Initiative, almost £5 million has been allocated to the national health service to support cancer networks and primary care trusts in implementing local services that will improve awareness of cancers, including lung cancer, and promote early diagnosis.
	The Department is investing in a campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of lung, breast and bowel cancers to encourage people with symptoms to seek help earlier than they do currently. The Improvement Foundation's Healthy Communities Collaborative is working in 20 of the most deprived areas of the country to target those most at risk and is working with local people to develop and test methods of awareness raising.
	In addition, the Department and the Football Foundation are jointly funding the Ahead of the Game programme. Ahead of the Game is a one-year pilot programme that uses the appeal of football to raise awareness of lung, bowel and prostate cancers in men aged 55 and over.

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of the financial settlement reached between the Manchester Mental Health NHS and Social Care Trust and its former chief executive.

Ann Keen: The information requested in relation to the financial settlement between Manchester Mental Health and Social Care National Health Service Trust and its former chief executive is confidential.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mental health budget was in each of the last 30 years.

Phil Hope: This information is not available in the format requested. Data are collected by the Department from the programme budgeting data collection from 2003-04 onwards. Prior to this, data was collected through the national health service Health and Community Health Services collection (HCHS). The two data collections are not compatible, and the HCHS data set underestimates total expenditure, so has not been used.
	Data on mental health budgets from 2003-04 to 2007-08 only are available from the NHS programme budget data collections for mental health disorders and this is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Department of Health: Programme budget data collection total expenditure on mental health services by the NHS in England 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   Expenditure (£000) 
			 2003-04 7,386,096 
			 2004-05 7,905,131 
			 2005-06 8,538,755 
			 2006-07 9,125,740 
			 2007-08 10,291,979 
			  Source: Department of Health.

Mental Health: Unemployed

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the effect of unemployment on a person's mental health.

Phil Hope: The Department has not commissioned research on the impact of the economic downturn on levels of demand for mental health services. However, we recognise that there are links between poor mental health and difficult economic circumstances.
	Thanks to nine consecutive years of increased spending, mental health services in England are now better prepared than ever before to provide help for people who are affected by the economic downturn. Many more staff, more community mental health services and increased access to psychological therapies have transformed services since 1997. Our New Horizons vision, to be published shortly, will build upon these achievements.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Voluntary Organisations

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with voluntary and community organisations concerned with the delivery of care to patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

Ann Keen: The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with voluntary or community organisations concerned with the delivery of care to patients with musculoskeletal conditions.
	On 20 January 2009, Lord Darzi, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, met with a group of stakeholders to discuss the research of the Rheumatology Futures Group. This stakeholder group included representatives of the national rheumatoid arthritis society (NRAS) and the British Society for Rheumatology.
	On 25 November 2009, a meeting took place between Jenny Snell of NRAS and my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Health, and a further meeting is scheduled for 1 December.

NHS: Pay

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of NHS staff earn more than £50,000 per annum.

Ann Keen: Of the 940,674 full-time equivalent hospital and community health services staff surveyed in the Information Centre for health and social care's April to June 2009 NHS Staff Earnings Estimates, 93,614 or 10 per cent. are estimated to have national health service earnings of more than £50,000 a year.

NHS: Pay

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid in salary and wage costs for NHS employees in the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the proportion paid to such employees who earn more than £50,000 per annum.

Ann Keen: According to the national health service financial returns and foundation trust annual reports the paybill for staff in the hospital and community health services was £39.2 billion in 2008-09. Information on the proportion of this figure paid to staff who earn more than £50,000 per annum is not available.
	The annual salaries (excluding employers' tax and national insurance contributions) of the hospital and community health services staff surveyed in the Information Centre for health and social care's April to June 2009 NHS Staff Earnings Estimates are estimated to total £30.8 billion, of which around 25 per cent. was paid to staff who earned more than £50,000 a year.

Surgery

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times foreign objects requiring surgical removal have been left inside patients following an operation in each of the past 10 years.

Ann Keen: A total of 60 patient safety incidents involving foreign objects left inside patients and requiring surgical removal have been reported to the National Patient Safety Agency since 2005. There was no central reporting system in place prior to 2003 and no such patient safety incidents were reported in 2003 and 2004. The detailed breakdown is in the following table:
	
		
			   Incidents-surgical removal of foreign objects 
			 2005 9 
			 2006 27 
			 2007 19 
			 2008 5 
			  Source: National Patient Safety Agency

Swine Flu: Babies

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what protection from swine influenza is available for babies under the age of six months; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Our advice to everyone is to continue to protect themselves and their babies by observing good respiratory and hand hygiene (use a tissue when they cough and sneeze and then throw it away and the frequent use of soap and water or sanitizer). People should contact their general practitioner (GP) if they have a child under one year old who has flu-like symptoms.
	A GP will assess children under one year and give advice on the use of the antiviral medication, any other relevant medication and on symptom management. People should keep a close eye on their child's symptoms and if their child suddenly gets much worse or does not improve, they should contact their GP again.
	The appropriate antiviral medication for children under one is oral oseltamivir solution, which is made up in national health service hospital pharmacies. We have enough of the powder for 50 per cent. of under ones. This is a sufficient amount based on current advice about the numbers who may be ill during the pandemic.
	Advice on the use of antiviral medicines for children under the age of one year has been placed in the Library (Pandemic Influenza: Recommendations on the use of antiviral medicines for pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding and children under the age of one year) and advice on breastfeeding and swine flu, including ways of reducing the risk of passing flu from mother to baby is given on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Children/Maternity/Maternalandinfantnutrition/DH_099965
	Neither of the swine flu vaccines used in the United Kingdom vaccination programme is licensed by the European regulators for use in children under six months old.

Transplant Surgery

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many transplants were done in private clinical practice in the UK involving solid organs donated after death outside the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: No transplant operations were carried out in private clinical practice in the United Kingdom involving solid organs donated after death outside of the National Health Service. All organs donated from deceased donors are allocated to patients through the NHS.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Coal

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the estimated  (a) operating reserves and  (b) proved recoverable reserves are of coal in each coalfield in the UK.

David Kidney: The following table summarises the estimated operating reserves and proved recoverable reserves of coal by former British Coal regions as at August 2009. Figures by coalfield are commercially sensitive and for that reason cannot be provided.
	
		
			  Million tonnes 
			   England
			   Central North  Central West  Northern  Scotland  Wales  Total 
			 Operating reserves(1,2) 95 19 26 50 197 387 
			 Proved recoverable reserves(3) 1,389 568 578 75 157 2,767 
			 (1) Includes mines currently in the planning process. (2) Does not include closed mines that are still in licence. (3) Includes sites that are well developed, fully and partly proved and those with potential prospects.  Source: The Coal Authority

Departmental Buildings

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which  (a) individuals other than ministerial colleagues and officials of his Department and  (b) organisations he met in an official capacity in the week commencing 9 November 2009.

Joan Ruddock: In its response to a report by the Public Administration Select Committee 'Lobbying: Access and influence in Whitehall', the Government agreed to publish online, on a quarterly basis, information about ministerial meetings with outside interest groups. Information for the period 1 October to 31 December 2009 will be published by Departments as soon as the information is ready, and will be made available on the Cabinet Office website in early 2010.

Energy: Conservation

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been allocated to the additional energy efficiency obligation in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11,  (c) 2011-12,  (d) 2012-13 and  (e) 2013-14; and (i) what proportion of funding will be for England, (ii) what carbon dioxide emissions reduction is expected to be achieved, (iii) how many properties will be affected and (iv) how many jobs will be created in each of those years.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 24 November 2009
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 23 November,  Official Report, column 36W.

Liquefied Natural Gas

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on the safety of liquefied natural gas shipping in UK waters;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on the matter of risk assessment in respect of liquefied natural gas operations.

Paul Clark: I have been asked to reply.
	In the last three years the Department for Transport has received representations about the safety of liquefied natural gas shipping in UK waters from four correspondents. At least one of these was a spokesman for the local campaign group 'Safe Haven'. We have also received an e-petition with 251 signatures and a copy of the report produced by Dr. R. A. Cox about the approach and use of risk assessments by the port authority.
	The Department does not hold any risk assessments or studies produced by the port authority, other than those which are already in the public domain.

Liquefied Natural Gas

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the role is of the  (a) Health and Safety Executive,  (b) Marine and Coastguard Agency and  (c) Environment Agency in respect of liquefied natural gas terminal operations in the UK.

Paul Clark: I have been asked to reply.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency (EA) together form the 'Competent Authority' under the COMAH regulations (Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1999). They assess the pre-construction and pre-operation safety reports from companies wishing to establish liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. HSE also undertake regular inspections of the site during its construction, and carry out further inspections at the site throughout its operational life to ensure the operator continues to run the site safely.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is responsible for the regulation of safety of vessels at sea, including LNG tankers for compliance with internationally agreed safety, security and environmental standards. The MCA surveys vessels registered in the UK and inspects foreign-flagged vessels visiting UK ports. They also check whether crew members have adequate living and working conditions.

Renewable Energy

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of households in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland and  (c) Wales to have purchased (i) micro wind, (ii) small scale hydro, (iii) solar thermal, (iv) ground source heat pump, (v) air source heat pump, (vi) biomass, (vii) solar photovoltaic and (viii) electric vehicles technologies in each of the last 10 years.

David Kidney: holding answer 23 November 2009
	 The Department does not hold the number of all household installations which have taken place in the last 10 years. Under the Government's grant programmes since 2001 we are able to provide the number of technologies which have received support:
	
		
			  (a) Low Carbon Buildings Programme-phase one 
			  Technology  England  Scotland  Wales 
			 Micro Wind 539 51 69 
			 Small Scale Hydro 4 - 1 
			 Solar Thermal 5,264 7 455 
			 Ground Source Heat Pump 482 1 61 
			 Air Source Heat Pump 141 - 12 
			 Biomass Room Heater 7 - 3 
			 Solar PV 1,892 24 70 
			 Wood Fuelled Boiler 326 5 66 
		
	
	
		
			  Low Carbon Buildings Programme-phase two 
			  Technology  England  Scotland  Wales 
			 Micro Wind 193 28 27 
			 Small Scale Hydro 0 0 0 
			 Solar Thermal 527 35 64 
			 Ground Source Heat Pump 309 13 10 
			 Air Source Heat Pump 19 0 0 
			 Biomass (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			 Solar PV 1,432 63 80 
			 Wood Fuelled Boiler 37 4 4 
			 (1) See boiler figure 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Major Demonstration Programme (PV only) 
			  Technology  England  Scotland  Wales 
			 Solar PV 1,008 43 73 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) Clear Skies (2003-05) 
			  Technology  England  Scotland  Wales 
			 Micro Wind 206 - - 
			 Small Scale Hydro 15 - - 
			 Solar Technologies 5,799 - - 
			 Ground Source Heat Pump 473 - - 
			 Wood Fuelled Boiler 90 - - 
			 Pellet Stoves 50 - - 
		
	
	The Scottish Community and Household Renewables Initiative has supported the following number of installations since 2003:
	
		
			  Technology  Number of installations in Scotland 
			 Micro Wind 202 
			 Small Scale Hydro 10 
			 Solar Thermal 1,549 
			 Ground Source Heat Pump 1,026 
			 Air Source Heat Pump 197 
			 Biomass 254 
			 Solar PV 13 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information on the number of households that purchase electric vehicles.

Warm Front Scheme

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department plans to spend on the Warm Front Programme in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11,  (c) 2011-12,  (d) 2012-13 and  (e) 2013-14; and what estimate he has made of the (i) proportion of such expenditure to be incurred in England, (ii) the carbon savings to be achieved, (iii) the number of properties affected and (iv) the number of jobs created from such expenditure in each year.

David Kidney: holding answer 23 November 2009
	The allocated budget for this spending round has been set at £959 million (2008-11).The actual spend for Year 1 (2008-09) was £395 million, while the planned spend for financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 is £369 million and £195 million respectively. Budgets for future years will be considered as part of the next spending round.
	Warm Front does not operate in the devolved Administrations and thus all scheme expenditure will be incurred in England.
	The Carbon Reductions reported for the scheme are based on figures calculated by the external energy analysis company, the Energy Audit Company, using property data collected by the Scheme Manager. Calculations for total carbon savings achieved under Warm Front are calculated annually at the end of each year, as such, the process does not yield projected estimates for incomplete or future years. The last period for which figures are available is 2008-09 (the last complete scheme year) when the scheme reported an average reduction on 1.233 tonnes per household assisted. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 12 November 2009,  Official Report, column 677W, for further information on carbon savings under Warm Front.
	The scheme aims to assist over 205,000 households this year, with a current estimate of 90,000 in 2010-11. This reduction in numbers is a result of £50 million of scheme funding being brought forward from the 2010-11 budget in order to assist vulnerable households sooner. It is not possible to make estimates for future years as budgets have not been set.
	Given the length of the scheme's supply chain, it is difficult to estimate the number of jobs that Warm Front creates. At the 2008 pre-Budget report, the Government announced that £3 billion of capital investment would be brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 to support a number of different industries and sectors through the economic downturn. This included a green stimulus of £535 million, which included £100 million, in new funding for Warm Front and £50 million brought forward from 2010-11. The Prime Minister announced that total public sector capital investment was expected to create or support 100,000 jobs across the country this year.

Warm Front Scheme

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people aged  (a) under and  (b) over 60 years in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area (A) were offered a Warm Front grant, (B) were required to pay a top-up to a Warm Front grant and (C) declined a Warm Front grant in each of (1) the last 12 months and (2) the last five years.

David Kidney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1365W. The numbers of applicants  (a) under and  (b) over 60 years of age in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area who (A) were offered a Warm Front grant and (B) required to make a contribution to the cost of works since 2005 were placed in the House Library in April 2009. At this time, Eaga did not record the number of applicants who did not proceed (c).
	However, Eaga has now undertaken work to consolidate the number of applicants who did not proceed according to (i) region and (ii) local authority area for the last five years. These figures have been placed in the House Library in a spreadsheet that also includes the number of those aged  (a) under and  (b) over 60 years in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area were (A) offered a Warm Front grant and (B) required to make a contribution to the cost of Warm Front work in (a) the last five years and (b) in the last 12 months.
	However, the numbers of those not proceeding in the last 12 months cannot be consolidated until the end of 2009-10 Scheme Year. I will ensure that these figures are placed in the House Library as soon as they are available.

Warm Front Scheme: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average grant awarded under the Warm Front scheme was in Tamworth constituency in each of the last three years.

David Kidney: The table details the average amount spent in homes receiving assistance from the Warm Front Scheme in the Tamworth constituency in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  Tamworth  £ 
			 2007-08 1,035.24 
			 2008-09 1,583.50 
			 2009-10 (to 31 October 2009) 2,517.91